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Stan announces exclusive Showtime deal

ShowtimeStan has signed long-term exclusive licensing deal with CBS’s Showtime, as the Australian streaming video on demand (SVOD) player seeks to challenge the might of Netflix in the market.

Among the new franchises included in the deal are series Billions, Halo and Twin Peaks, with Showtime seen as the major challenger to US cable giant HBO, which is aligned with Foxtel in this market.

“Showtime is one of the world’s greatest creators of television programming and we are delighted to enter this long-term partnership, cementing our position as Australia’s leading local SVOD service,” said Mike Sneesby, CEO of Stan.

Under the output deal Foxtel and Presto retain rights to existing Showtime shows like Ray Donovan, Penny Dreadful, The Affair with the SVOD rights only moving to Stan 18 months after the show airs.

The deal is the second major overseas deal Showtime and parent company CBS has made this week as part of a global expansion strategy.

It kicked off this week with the premiere of Showtime original Billions in Australia, after a strong debut in the U.S and next year.

“The growth of SVOD services internationally has created a huge demand for premium content globally. Showtime’s prestigious brand and growing portfolio of programming align perfectly with this marketplace,” said Armando Nuñez, President & CEO of the CBS Global Distribution Group.

“We’re excited to expand the international footprint of Showtime in a big way in Australia with Stan, and build on our relationship with their corporate parents Nine Entertainment Co. and Fairfax Media.”

The announcement comes as latest industry analysis shows Netflix dominating its rivals both in terms of subscriber numbers and traffic volume.

A leaked Experian Hitwise analysis of streaming traffic, published today shows Netflix dwarfing its rivals Stan and Presto in traffic while the US service is tipped to have more than 1m local subscribers compared to Stan’s estimated 350,000 subscribers and Presto’s 250,000 subscribers.

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Nic Christensen  

Update 3pm : Foxtel and Presto have both issued statements this afternoon.

Foxtel statement: “Foxtel has its own longstanding deal in place with Showtime and will continue to show recent hits like Penny Dreadful, The Affair and Ray Donovan first on Foxtel along with many of Showtime’s past favourites.”

Presto statement: “Presto will continue to stream current Showtime series including Ray Donovan, Penny Dreadful and The Affair. News seasons of these programs will be available exclusively on Presto ahead of any other streaming service in Australia, for the life of the series.”

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