Netflix has been engaged in an arms race with the networks and premium channels since it began making original series in 2013. Now, with the poaching of Fast Company cover star Shonda Rhimes from ABC, the streaming service has pretty much acquired nuclear weapons.
The creator behind megahit series like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder has been locked into an increasingly lucrative deal with ABC Studios since she sold her first pilot in 2003. That deal was set to expire next June, but according to Variety, Rhimes and ABC have been in discussions for months about an early exit.
The financial particulars of the multi-year Netflix deal are unknown at this time, but ABC had been paying Rhimes $10M per year for producing her trio of current shows. Under the Netflix deal, all of the current Shondaland series–including a forthcoming Grey’s Anatomy spin-off–will continue airing on ABC, while Rhimes is expected to make new originals for Netflix that the service will own.
[via the Wall Street Journal]
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