Netflix Signs Deal To Stream Mad Men

It's been a roller coaster of good and bad news for Netflix lately. First, there was the huge announcement that they were experimenting with original programming by outbidding HBO and AMC for the rights to House of Cards, a new drama series from David Fincher and Kevin Spacey. Then we heard the less exciting news that Showtime was pulling its currently airing shows and Starz would be delaying their new shows for 90 days on the service. Now the coaster has headed back uphill with Deadline's report that Netflix has signed a deal with Lionsgate for exclusive syndication rights to stream AMC's Emmy-winning series Mad Men.

Thanks to this deal, Netflix subscribers will be able to watch the first four seasons of Mad Men via Instant Watch beginning July 27th. That's great news for anyone who hasn't had a chance to check out the show yet and wants to catch up during the long wait for the show to return in 2012. Once the show does return, the future seasons will be uploaded to Netflix after they've finished airing on AMC.