A broadcast television network and a streaming services firm are entering a rare partnership, with Netflix's "Narcos" hitting the small screens via Univision's linear TV network. "Narcos" Season 1 will air on the broadcast TV this year before the second season premieres on Netflix.
Mutual Benefits
As reported by The New York Times, Netflix and Univision Communications Inc. have announced a unique deal wherein "Narcos" will be shown on the traditional television network. Univision will also air "Club de Cuervos," another original series by Netflix that is in Spanish.
While the terms of the deals between the two media companies were not officially revealed, NY Times learned that the partnership does not involve huge sums of money than what others would normally have. According to the publication's sources, Netflix is experimenting on whether this strategy would help attract more subscriptions to its streaming service, particularly by reaching more Hispanic audiences. In a sense, the streaming company is saving millions of dollars for the marketing campaigns.
Meanwhile, Univision will only pay residuals to performers, saving big time on the rights to distribute the program. Having "Narcos" in its lineup of programs is also expected to help boost the network's viewership and support its efforts to evolve into a multicultural media company, NY Times reported.
New Market Emerging
The Wall Street Journal said that the deal between Netflix and Univision might just open a new kind of market for reruns. The syndication market has been experiencing some challenges and one way to make up for the cost of producing TV programs is to sell library licensing rights to streaming services. To have exclusive rights to a program, streaming services tend to pay producers large sums.
"Narcos" is a Netflix original series that debuted in 2015. It tells the story of one of the world's notorious cocaine kingpin, Pablo Escobar, which is played by Wagner Moura. "Narcos" Season 2 is reportedly scheduled to premiere in August, but no official date has been announced yet.
