Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) are betting that some lesser-known Marvel comic-book characters will play well together online. The companies said Thursday that Disney's Marvel TV and ABC TV Studios units will produce four original live-action series for Netflix culminating in a "miniseries programming event."
The move is a vote of confidence from Netflix in the depth of the intellectual property Disney acquired when it bought Marvel, and a vote of confidence from Disney in the online distribution of TV programming. Last month, Deadline.com reported that Disney was shopping such series around to online distributors.
For Netflix the deal also represents an opportunity to license programming from one of Hollywood's top studios with a brand already popular among Netflix viewers. "Marvel's Movies, such as 'Iron Man' and Marvel's 'The Avengers,' are huge favorites on our service around the world," Ted Sarandos, Netflix's chief content officer, said in a press release. "Like Disney, Marvel is a known and loved brand that travels."
The Marvel characters coming to Netflix aren't quite as recognizable as the ones Disney has produced into major movie franchises Sarandos mentioned. The characters include Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage.
For more:
- read the press release
- the New York Times had this report
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