Thanks to a new syndication deal, you'll soon be able to stream 24 seasons of The Simpsons. This is the first time the show will be on anywhere but network televisions.
After a vigorous bidding war which resulted in what is believed to be the biggest off-network deal ever, FXX has secured the exclusive cable, VOD and non-linear rights to The Simpsons, the longest-running, most successful comedy series in television history, it was announced today by John Landgraf, CEO, FX Networks and FX Productions and Chuck Saftler, President, Program Strategy, and COO, FX Networks.
According to Variety, the transaction “is valued at upwards of $750 million over the life of the deal. Vulture explains:
While it might seem that FXX had the inside track on landing The Simpsons for cable and syndication, it’s not that simple because a slew of outside parties — including Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and the show’s voice actors — all have financial stakes in the show. That doesn’t give them veto power regarding where the show ends up, but it does mean that if any of them thought FXX got a sweetheart deal, they could very easily sue 20th for not getting fair market value for the show. This is why 20th shopped The Simpsons to various cable groups, generating what a press release called “a vigorous bidding war” for the show and what Landgraf called “a very long, hard and complicated negotiation.”