Deadline reports that the output deal between Netflix and The CW will not be renewed after expiring this spring.
What does this mean for fans who wait to watch their shows on Netflix instead of week-to-week? Shows that were previously under the agreement and aired during the current 2018 – 2019 season, like Riverdale, Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl, will continue to stream on Netflix with their past seasons well into the future. It remains to be seen if their future seasons will still go to Netflix through the deal or not.
New shows like Batwoman, Nancy Drew, and the Riverdale spin-off Katy Keen will not automatically go to Netflix; instead they’ll have to bid for them against other streaming services. Batwoman specifically will likely end up on the WarnerMedia’s planned streaming service, but Nancy Drew and Katy Keen could still land on Netflix.
It remains to be seen if future seasons of CW shows already on Netflix will still go to the streaming service through the deal or not. There’s also the question of the international distribution of CW shows like Riverdale, which is released by the streaming service in the UK among other market.s
This marks the second major deal with Netflix that has been axed after Disney ended their theatrical film deal with Netflix ahead of their Disney+ app’s debut.
