REUTERS: Netflix Inc and Universal Pictures, a division of Comcast Corp, have extended a multi-year exclusive rights deal in the United States for animated feature brands such as “Minions” and “Puss in Boots,” according to the streaming giant. After a four-month window on Peacock, Comcast’s in-house streaming service, Netflix will have the rights to stream these popular movies, which are produced by Universal’s DreamWorks Animation studios.
Netflix presently has movies from Universal’s Illumination studios, such as “Despicable Me” and “The Grinch.”
Universal’s full-animated and live-action slate of films, as well as the rights to other select titles, will be licensed by the streaming service four years following their debut.
The agreement could help Netflix retain its children’s subscriber base, and it comes at a time when studios like Disney are hesitant to sell rights to streaming services in order to strengthen their own platforms.
Universal’s latest films will be exclusively distributed by Peacock no later than four months after they debut in theaters, according to a statement released by Comcast last week.
(Bengaluru-based reporter Eva Mathews contributed to this report; Amy Caren Daniel edited it.)
Reuters is the source of this information./n
