Netflix and Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) have announced a global Pay-1 licensing deal.
Exclusive agreement
In the exclusive multi-year agreement, SPE's feature films will stream on Netflix worldwide — an industry-first for Pay-1 — following their full theatrical and home entertainment windows.
The new global Pay-1 arrangement will roll out gradually starting later this year as individual territory rights become available, with full global availability on Netflix in early 2029. As part of this deal, Netflix will also license rights to select SPE feature film and television library titles.
Netflix currently has Pay-1 rights to SPE's feature films in select territories including the US, Germany, and across Southeast Asia. Hit films from the current deal include Uncharted, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, It Ends With Us, Anyone But You, and Venom: The Last Dance.
Iconic franchises
“Our members all over the world love movies and giving them exclusive access to Sony’s much loved films adds incredible value to their subscriptions,” said Lauren Smith, vice president of Licensing and Programming Strategy at Netflix. “Sony’s impressive slate of iconic film franchises like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and originals like Anyone But You have been popular with our US audience and now we’re excited to expand that offering to our members all around the world.”
“Our partnership with Netflix has always been incredibly valuable,” said Paul Littmann, EVP of Global Distribution, Sony Pictures Television. “This new Pay-1 deal takes that partnership to the next level and reinforces the enduring appeal of our theatrical releases to Netflix’s global audience. It also further underscores the strength of our independence and unique ability to create meaningful opportunities that benefit our creative stakeholders, consumers, and world-class partners.”
Some of the first SPE feature film titles that will stream on Netflix as part of the new deal include The Nightingale, the highly anticipated adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s global sensation starring Dakota and Elle Fanning together for the first time; Sony Pictures Animation’s Buds; Nintendo’s live-action The Legend of Zelda; Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, the conclusion to the groundbreaking Spider-Verse trilogy; and Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes’ audacious quartet of Beatles films.
