Looks like it’s finally paying off to be the most polite country in the world, Canada is only Netflix region that secured streaming rights to the most anticipated film of this decade, Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Thanks to an article in Variety, I learned that because of a blip in the system that allowed Netflix to snag the streaming rights to the film whose trailer broke the internet earlier this week.
The reason Netflix will be able to offer the much-anticipated movie in Canada next year — and not in the U.S. or anywhere else — has to do with the timing of when Disney’s pay-TV distribution deals were up for grabs.
The situation is very similar to what happened with Netflix and Epix last month, Netflix didn’t renew their contract with Epix and Hulu swooped in and bought their contract. Currently, the pay-TV station Starz has streaming rights to five of the six films (all the ones owned by Disney) and at the end of 2015 their contract is expired. Netflix, being the ever watchful service they are, Hulu’d the shit out of Starz and got the rights!
Fortuitously for Netflix Canada subs, the company’s deal with Disney started with 2015 releases after the previous agreements for the pay-TV window with Corus Entertainment and Bell Canada expired. A Netflix rep confirmed “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” is slated to come to the service in the country; under the terms of the deal, that will occur approximately eight months after the movie leaves theaters
This is following recent news that Netflix has a deal in the works with Disney which includes a series of live action Star Wars shows and exclusive content. So it’s not surprising that they were able to work out a compromise to suit everyone… just sucks that it only benefits Canada.
To quote the words of the great Han Solo…
