Netflix signs big streaming deal with Discovery

Netflix has had better quarters. The instant streaming service has lost a million users in the last few months, is facing criticism for its decision to spin off its DVD-by-mail service as a new company called Qwikster, and will soon lose Starz content, which makes up as much as 8 percent of its content. Well, subscribers fear not. Netflix has renewed and signed an expanded deal with Discovery, which owns the Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, the Science Channel, Discovery Health, FitTV, HowStuffWorks.com, the Military Channel, the Travel Channel, and others. The streaming service will soon get old episodes of shows like Man vs. Wild, Say Yes to the Dress, and River Monsters, among others.

“Discovery Communications has always been platform agnostic and committed to satisfying curiosity on all consumer distribution platforms supported by a strong economic model,” said Rebecca Glashow, senior vice president, Digital Distribution, Discovery Communications. “We are pleased to renew this agreement with Netflix, which provides us with programming flexibility and lets loyal and potential fans catch up and discover content. It is a terrific complement to our multi-channel video services and creates additional ways to earn value for our 25-year programming library.”

We have to say, there is a lot of great Discovery Channel content Netflix could mine in this deal. The Discovery Channel is currently the most widely subscribed cable channel in the United States and its network of channels is vast. And, of course, this could mean we get to watch Shark Week every week. We’re also pleased to see Netflix acknowledge that the service is targeting television shows as much, if not more than movies.