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'The Blacklist' comes to Netflix in what is reportedly a record-making deal

The NBC show 'The Blacklist' is reportedly coming to Netflix at a cost of $2 million per episode. 'The Blacklist' stars James Spader and Megan Boone.

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Virginia Sherwood/NBC/AP
'The Blacklist' stars James Spader.

The NBC hit drama “The Blacklist” is coming to Netflix.

According to Deadline, Netflix recently acquired NBC’s show “The Blacklist” for $2 million per episode, which is "believed to be the biggest subscription video-on-demand deal for a TV series," writes Deadline reporter Nellie Andreeva. The first season of “The Blacklist,” which debuted last fall, will come to Netflix on Sept. 7 and Netflix has exclusive streaming rights to the show, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Netflix would not confirm the amount it paid for the show, according to Variety.

As for traditional TV options, according to the deal, Sony Pictures TV can sell the syndication rights to the show to networks, according to Deadline.

“The Blacklist,” which became one of last year’s freshman TV hits, follows Raymond Reddington, known as Red (James Spader), who used to be a member of the government before he became a notorious criminal. He surrenders himself at FBI headquarters and says he will aid them in tracking down those who are breaking the law. But he insists that he will only deal with Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), an FBI Special Agent just starting out. The series also stars actors Diego Klattenhoff, Parminder Nagra, Alan Alda, and Mary-Louise Parker.

What does this mean for Netflix? Forbes writer Merrill Barr wrote that Netflix acquiring “The Blacklist” and creating a French original series, “Marseille,” means the streaming service is “a nearly unstoppable force.”

Snagging “The Blacklist,” creating “Marseille,” and renewing its original animated series “Bojack Horseman,” “especially in the rapid succession they’ve occurred, show off not just the power Netflix wields, but its commitment to the one thing that’ll keep it competitive: content diversity,” Barr wrote.

And Sony Pictures TV benefits, too, says Kelly West of Cinema Blend.

“This appears to be a nice win for Sony on multiple levels, as it sounds like they're getting a substantial sum of money – do the math on $2 million multiplied by 22 episodes,” she wrote. “And this should give people the chance to get caught up on the series with enough time to jump on board with the show when it premieres Season 2... If things work out that way, that might ensure that 'Blacklist' will, at the very least, maintain its strong viewership going into the second season, if not improve on it."

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