Subscription-based online video service Netflix has signed a multi-year licensing agreement with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution to exclusively bring past seasons of hit US shows such as ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Fringe’ to the UK and Ireland.
The first three seasons of hit teen supernatural drama ‘The Vampire Diaries’ come to Netflix on December 1st, while seasons one through five of ‘Gossip Girl’ begin on March 1st of next year.
Then later in 2013, four seasons of the J.J. Abrams-created science fiction show ‘Fringe’ will be available to watch instantly, as will all five seasons of ‘Chuck’, the hybrid action-comedy, spy-drama that completed its American run in January.
Netflix revealed in its Q3 earnings release that it has now passed 1mn subscribers to its streaming video services in the UK and Ireland, and continues to see strong growth, although the local market remains expensive for content due to competition with Sky and Amazon’s LoveFilm.
The Californian video services provider also expects the UK/Ireland market to take “materially longer” than Canada to reach profitability, given the high level of competition and the continued expansion of its content ambitions.
