Netflix adds CBS, Disney shows for streaming

CSI, NCIS, Hannah Montana are part of agreement

By Danny King -- Video Business, 9/23/2008

SEPT. 23 | Netflix has agreements to stream TV shows from both Walt Disney's Disney Channel and CBS in a move to attract more subscribers to its streaming service.

NCIS, Numb3rs and the CSI franchise are among the CBS series that are part of the agreement, while Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place and The Suite Life on Deck also will be available for Netflix subscribers, Netflix said today in a statement. The titles will add "meaningfully" to Netflix's streaming inventory of 12,000 titles, according to Netflix, the largest U.S. movie-rental service via mail.

Netflix has been trying to build on its 8.4 million subscriber base by adding streaming services. This month, LG Electronics started selling a Blu-ray Disc player that instantly links to Netflix’s 12,000-title streaming service. In July, Netflix expanded its partnership with Microsoft that allows customers to stream Netflix’s movies and TV shows through Microsoft’s Xbox 360 videogame console.

"We are thrilled to enter into these relationships with CBS and Disney Channel and build upon their innovative distribution strategies," Robert Kyncl, VP of content acquisition for Netflix, said in the statement.

Netflix subscribers will have access to about 500 Disney Channel episodes and about 350 CBS episodes, which also include Jericho.

In May, Netflix introduced a set-top box allowing customers to stream programming straight onto their TV sets. Later that month, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said products such as Netflix Player by Roku, which had to be back-ordered within three weeks of its introduction, would double the company’s subscriber base within a decade.