After developing and releasing original content like Arrested Development, House of Cards and Hemlock Grove, Netflix is thinking even bigger with its latest production deal, an order of over 300 hours of original programming from DreamWorks Animation. You know, for kids.
A multiple-year, multiple-show studio deal of this scale is a massive commitment for Netflix, which previously limited its commitments to one show at a time and to two seasons per show. But it's also a big deal for DWA, with CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg on record as saying that the deal will "at least" double the size of the studio's television business and raise its profit margins to the same level as its feature film business after losing $36.4 million last year.
The partnership also comes at a good time for Netflix, which allowed its deal with Viacom to expire at the end of May, ending its access to the extensive Nickelodeon library of kid-friendly content. The DWA-created shows will plug the hole that leaves behind, solving what could otherwise have a big problem for the company; traditionally, viewing of streamed content on Netflix gets a significant bump during the summer months due to kids being on holiday from school and wanting to watch their favorite shows. (Netflix actually introduceda new portalspecifically aimed at all-ages viewing this week, in response to this demand.)
While details of just what shows will actually fill those 300 hours haven't been released, it's believed that they'll feature characters created by DreamWorks Animation, as well as classic kids characters such as Casper the Friendly Ghost, Where's Waldo and Lassie that the studio acquired when purchasing Classic Media last year.
The first fruits of this deal will be seen at some point in next year, but they won't be the first original DreamWorks Animated show to debut on Netflix; that honor goes to Turbo: F.A.S.T., a spin-off from this summer's Turbo movie that was already scheduled to launch on the service this December.
When Amazon Prime launched its first pilots, almost half of them were kids' shows. With this news, it's obvious that Netflix also seems to believe that the children are the future, as well. If Hulu suddenly makes an announcement about brand new original programming aimed at kids, perhaps it's time to start wondering whether the future of original online video might literally rest in the hands -- or, at least, remote controls -- of babes.
