Netflix adds independent film studios to streaming service
Netflix has announced that it’s adding 300 movies from independent film companies to its Watch Instantly streaming video service.
According to a release from the company, Netflix has signed deals with The Criterion Collection, Gravitas Ventures, Kino Lorber, Music Box Films, Oscilloscope Laboratories and Regent Releasing. Some films are available now, while others will be rolling out over the year. The deal also covers immediate streaming availability of new releases as they come out over the course of the agreements.
“We have always been committed to offering our members the most expansive and diverse library of films and TV episodes and have found that a large number of members enjoy the innovative, artist-driven nature of independent film,” said Robert Kyncl, vice president of content acquisition for Netflix. “These new deals are intended to delight our members with a mass of great new indie films and to continue to provide filmmakers and distributors with a big, receptive audience for their work.”
Netflix has been touting the explosive growth of its Watch Instantly service, and announced recently that nearly half of its subscribers streamed content in 2009.
Due to the lower costs associated with streaming movies as opposed to delivering physical discs, Netflix has been concentrating heavily on increasing the selection of films it has to offer, as well as the number of devices that can facilitate the delivery of the content to the television. Devices that can deliver the Netflix streams now includes Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Nintentdo Wii (coming very, very soon), certain TiVo models, the Roku line of set top boxes, select Blu-ray players and certain models of televisions themselves.
One of the largest complaints about the service has been the lack of selection, but it appears this may be one of the biggest focuses for Netflix this year if the first two months are any indication.
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