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.