Netflix snags creator of Black-ish

These days more and more television creators are moving to Netflix. Shonda Rhimes’ decision to leave ABC Studios for Netflix was a setback for Disney and a blow to broadcast TV in general. She is one of the biggest names in network television with massive hits like Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder. Netflix wooed Rhimes with the promise of a base salary and added incentives up to $150 million.

After Rhimes, the second name to be added to this elusive list was Ryan Murphy, who was also wooed away by Netflix, for a massive $250 million to $300 million deal. Ryan Murphy is well known for hits like American Crime Story, American Horror Story, Nip Tuck, Feud and more recently, 911 and Pose. His TV shows on FX and Fox networks will continue but new content after that will be for Netflix, similar to the deal of Rhimes.

In recent news, after Rhimes and Murphy, Netflix has now snagged the creator of Black-ish Kenya Barris for a deal reported up to $100 million. Barris doesn’t necessarily have the same success record like Rhimes but, he is considered to be one of the top comedy producers with Black-ish and its spin off Grown-ish at ABC sibling Freeform.

The question now remains what is the future of network television. With numerous streaming services coming into play, network television is losing more and more names to these services. With Apple launching its own streaming service and Amazon emerging as a strong rival to Netflix, it seems TV has now become a very competitive market.

Streaming services like Netflix give freedom to creators for their content, and with almost no pressure of ratings overnight, more and more producers are being wooed by this streaming module.

Is it profitable in the larger scheme of things? That remains to be seen. One disadvantage might be that network TV offers to some of its cast and producers, profit sharing in the long term. Case in point, NBC comedy series Friends that made up to one billion dollars for Warner Bros and all the six lead stars had a 2 per cent share in the profits. So, even today all of them are paid 20 million a year. Will the same profit participation be offered to executives and lead cast members in streaming services remains a question at this point.

Not everyone is leaving the network television umbrella though. Greg Berlanti, creator and executive producer of massive hits like Arrow, Supergirl, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow, inked a $400 million deal with Warner Bros.

Berlanti, who has had 14 scripted series on air; a record, has taken all cash incentives meaning that he will no longer earn points and have participation in backend profits. Berlanti has 2 years remaining with Warner Bros and with the new four-year deal he will remain at Warner Bros until 2024.

Melissa Rosenberg, the executive producer of hit series Jessica Jones, is leaving Netflix for Warner Bros. She will finish the third season of Jessica Jones before moving on. Sources note the studio outbid Netflix for Rosenberg’s services in a deal that is ultimately worth in eight-figure range. Ultimately, Rosenberg was ready to do something different and was ready to move on to new projects though Netflix is said to have courted her to stay. Under the multiple-year pact, Rosenberg will create and develop new projects for Warner Bros. TV.

With highly sought after executive producers, it remains a question whether all these new deals will be worth it. With all eyes on Rhimes, who hasn’t written a show herself since Scandal came on air several years ago, and who has gone on to say: “that the new series for Netflix will not be Grey’s Anatomy or similar”, everyone is curious to see what she does next and will it be worth it? Can network television stay competitive with more and more people opting for streaming services? With declining ratings and pressure to deliver a hit series overnight, only time will tell what the future holds.

– With information from The Hollywood Reporter.