The CW and Netflix have been renegotiating their contract, making some viewers worry that the 2015-2016 (and later) seasons of Flash, Arrow etc. might not make it to Netflix at all. Now a report at Variety suggests that they’re close to finalizing a deal which would not only keep the shows available, but would bring them to the streaming service much faster — within a few weeks of the end of the season instead of waiting for months. This will give new viewers a chance to catch up before the next season without chugging coffee and skipping sleep for a few days. (via ComicsAlliance)
The network’s deal with Hulu is also expiring, but they apparently haven’t been able to reach an agreement. It seems Hulu wanted the rights to the whole season as each episode became available, not just the most recent five episodes. Understandable, especially since it turns out most of Hulu’s CW-related traffic was viewers watching Flash and Arrow!
Free streaming during the season will still be available on CW’s website. I tried that a couple of times this year after missing an episode, but it just didn’t play very well. I ended up buying a couple of episodes on Google Play. With any luck, they’ll fix the site.
So what do you think: Looking forward to Netflix? Disappointed to lose Hulu? Don’t care because you watch live / wait for the DVD anyway?
Update July 5: The new Netflix/CW deal is official, and full seasons of Flash, Arrow, etc. will be available starting eight days after the season finale.
I’m an Amazon Prime guy any chance they swoop in and change the game?
I’d guess probably not, if only because Amazon already makes money off the shows with per-episode digital purchases and season subscriptions. Long-term, who knows, but for now it seems unlikely.
weird that you had trouble with the CW’s streaming site. It’s how i watched 80% of Legends, Arrow, and FLash, and it seemed to work just fine.
Also, there is an iOS app for CW that acts like Hulu. Free episodes but ads, only the last 5 available to watch.
We try to watch with the HD digital antenna and if the signal is bad then watch it on Hulu the next day. I’d hate to see it go to an app or service that requires you to have a particular OS.
They’ve got an Android app too, but I can’t stand watching anything longer than a couple of minutes on a phone, and that especially doesn’t work when there’s more than one person watching. If they ever get around to adding Chromecast support, I’ll be happy to use it, even with the ads.
I signed up with arcvpn and everything seems to be good so far. I’m able to watch hulu and all my favorite shows.