Fans May Have to Wait YEARS for New Seasons of DC Comics Shows to Arrive on Netflix and Hulu

Say it ain’t so! According to a report from the Associated Press, Time Warner is considering a major (and majorly inconvenient) overhaul of the way it distributes DC Comics-based shows.

According to comments made by Time Warner Inc. chief executive Jeff Bewkes during a conference call with analysts on Wednesday, Time Warner may begin releasing DC-based series to Netflix and Hulu several years after they first air, rather than one year. In the intervening years, already-aired episodes might be available on-demand to fans with traditional cable.

The shows affected would include The Flash, Arrow, Gotham, Supergirl, and iZombie, as well as upcoming series like Lucifer, Legends of Tomorrow, and Preacher.

Bewkes said the move would deliver “even more value to consumers, especially those who subscribe to the traditional bundle.” Analyst Anthony DiClemente of Nomura Securities told the Associated Press that this new distribution plan reflects industry fears about Netflix’s growing prominence:

Some of the media executives are looking at Netflix as a digital distributor who has gained too much power. They are thinking, look, maybe we should keep our most valuable content inside the traditional pay TV ecosystem, which is the golden goose.

Netflix, you are truly a double-edged sword.

What do you all think of this news? If this distribution plan goes through, I know that I’ll personally be a lot more reluctant to get caught up on shows (like iZombie or The Flash) that I might have missed the first few seasons of. This change seems like it doesn’t reflect an understanding of how these series’ fans consume media, but what do I know? I’m not a traditional subscriber.

Sigh. If you need me, I’ll be stress eating some brains WHILE I STILL CAN.

(via Pajiba and Comic Book Resources)

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Carolyn Cox