It's real and spectacular: Netflix buys the exclusive rights to broadcast Seinfeld

Netflix and Sony Pictures Television confirmed On Monday, they had reached an exclusive broadcast agreement for one of the most popular TV series in the world: Seinfeld.

Starting in 2021, Netflix will become the exclusive online broadcast house for the series around the world. Current online distributors, Hulu (United States) and Amazon (most other regions broadcast), will be out of date. Hulu's previous five-year contract for streaming rights in the series was between $ 160 million and $ 180 million a year. This new deal with Netflix probably represents more money because of its only international presence, but neither Sony, Netflix nor Castle Rock Entertainment have revealed any conditions.

According to the LA Times, Netflix has announced full support for Seinfeld's Netflix Series 4K resolution, a first for the series. It remains to be seen how this upscaling will be handled: should we expect the original video, full of grain, to be recreated as on some of the best UHD Blu-ray discs on the market or if we will rather see retouching significant numbers? (In any case, we wonder if Kramer will apply his ingenuity to this 4K-ization, similar to his work on tie dispensers and men's underwear.)

The same report also claims that Netflix outbid a significant number of competitors for Seinfeld's worldwide broadcast rights: NBCUniversal, CBS All Access, AT & T TimeWarner, Hulu and Amazon. Not included in this list: Apple TV + and Disney +, each of which has its own path for the launch of November 2019 services.

The news comes as Netflix faces increased competition in the nostalgic television sector. AT & T Time Warner accelerates with its HBO Max product in 2020. This service hit the headlines in July by announcing the sitcom of the '90s. friends, which currently broadcasts on Netflix, would switch to HBO Max during its launch. This was followed by the massive sale in August between HBO Max and BBC America for the exclusive distribution of series such as Dr. Who, Luther and Top Gear.