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Australian subscription video-on-demand service Stan has announced a deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution that adds “hundreds of hours” of new content to its catalogue.
The multi-year deal includes access to five first run shows as well as movies and other back catalogue collections. Arguably the centrepiece of the deal is the exclusive SVOD rights to all ten seasons of the ’90s hit show “Friends.” That’s 236 episodes, for anyone counting.
The move ties in to Stan’s strategy to compete in the local streaming space, mixing Netflix-style binge-watching of classic shows with newer content on a simultaneous release schedule.
The Warner Bros. deal also includes all seven seasons of Aaorn Sorkin’s political drama “The West Wing” and every episode of “The OC.”
The latest show from “Veronica Mars” creator Rob Thomas will also appear on Stan: The first season of “iZombie,” a supernatural crime-solving comedy, is available now. In October, the second season of the show will be ‘fast-tracked’ to Stan on the same day as its US broadcast.
Stan is a joint venture between Nine Entertainment and Fairfax that began operations on Australia Day this year. In addition to extensive local and international licensing arrangement the service also have its own original series in production, a police comedy called
“Wolf Creek” and “Enemies of the State,” two more original Stan productions, also have deals in place, with production yet to begin.
Other shows in the deal include “The Flash,” “Constantine,” “Fringe” and “The Carrie Diaries.”
