Simpsons Soon To Be Available For Streaming
After a vigorous bidding war which resulted in what is believed to be the biggest off-network deal ever, FXX has secured the exclusive cable, VOD and non-linear rights to The Simpsons, the longest-running, most successful comedy series in television history, it was announced today by John Landgraf, CEO, FX Networks and FX Productions and Chuck Saftler, President, Program Strategy, and COO, FX Networks.
Reports show that the deal was worth $750 million dollars over the life of the deal. Fox will basically begin streaming Simpsons on their upcoming streaming app FXNOW.
It’s not yet clear if all 24 previous seasons will be available at once at the beginning or if they will release them over time.
The Simpsons is currently the most successful, longest running, most profitable animated comedy in Television history. Family Guy and others have attempted to overthrow a few of other categories including the profits category but they have not come even remotely close in terms of viewerships counting Simpsons 24 seasons.
While it might seem that FXX had the inside track on landing The Simpsons for cable and syndication, it’s not that simple because a slew of outside parties — including Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and the show’s voice actors — all have financial stakes in the show. That doesn’t give them veto power regarding where the show ends up, but it does mean that if any of them thought FXX got a sweetheart deal, they could very easily sue 20th for not getting fair market value for the show. This is why 20th shopped The Simpsons to various cable groups, generating what a press release called “a vigorous bidding war” for the show and what Landgraf called “a very long, hard and complicated negotiation.”