The Starz Play option has helped transform Netflix Watch Instantly from a collection of forgotten B-movies to a serious rental alternative. But now Relativity Media has upped the ante by bypassing the likes of Starz, HBO and Showtime entirely, and opting to bring their films to Netflix for streaming.
The studio, responsible for recent films like Robin Hood, Get Him to the Greek, A Serious Man and Mamma Mia! among many others, announced in a press release today that their films will be made available on Netflix during what's normally the pay TV window, a few weeks or months ahead of the official DVD release. Relativity's movies won't be available in the Watch Instantly rotation forever, but much like the current Starz Play lineup, will be there for a few months before stepping down for a newer movie to take their place.
Among the first films to be affected by this deal are The Fighter, the boxing biopic starring Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg, and Skyline, a thriller directed by Colin Strause and Greg Strause. No, it's not along the lines of Iron Man 2 showing up on your TV the weekend after it opens, but this move by Relativity is an important step forward for the future of streaming movies, and a recognition that DVDs are becoming increasingly unimportant in the way consumers revisit their favorite theatrical releases. If you're a devotee of Netflix Watch Instantly like I am, you've just been guaranteed even better entertainment.
