Spielberg, after talking trash about Netflix, signs content deal - The UpStream

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Spielberg, after talking trash about Netflix, signs content deal

posted Saturday Jun 26, 2021 by Scott Ertz

Spielberg, after talking trash about Netflix, signs content deal

There is no doubt that consumers love Netflix. However, inside the industry, the feelings about the streaming giant have not been quite so positive. In fact, many efforts have been made to try and degrade the image of Netflix, particularly within the academy. One of the loudest voices in that charge has been Steven Spielberg. However, sometimes favors change, and now Spielberg is working with Netflix for original content.

Steven Spielberg has long argued that content from Netflix does not qualify as movies. In particular, he fought for rule changes within the Academy when the company's Roma was set to absolutely sweep the Oscars in 2019. The argument was that films that premiere on Netflix should not be classified as full films, but instead as made for TV movies. This would preclude them from consideration for the most important awards, such as Best Picture. The end result was for streaming films to spend a certain amount of time in a certain amount of theaters for consideration.

Now, despite this long animosity, Netflix and Amblin, Spielberg's production company, have announced a partnership to produce original content for Netflix. Under this deal, Amblin will produce "multiple new feature films per year." Spielberg said of the agreement,

At Amblin, storytelling will forever be at the center of everything we do, and from the minute Ted and I started discussing a partnership, it was abundantly clear that we had an amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways. This new avenue for our films, alongside the stories we continue to tell with our longtime family at Universal and our other partners, will be incredibly fulfilling for me personally since we get to embark on it together with Ted, and I can't wait to get started with him, Scott, and the entire Netflix team.

There is no talk of what types of content will be produced under this new agreement, but Amblin is known for a wide range of film genres. From famous sci-fi films like E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial to historical films like Schindler's List, this could be a big bonus for Netflix subscribers.

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