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Photos from the set of the "Zelda" feature film give rise to speculation
by Debora Pape
"Zelda", "Spider-Man" and the "Beatles" are coming exclusively to Netflix
19.1.2026
Translation: machine translated
Netflix is going on the offensive in the fierce competition between streaming services: the supplier is deepening its partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment with a new agreement worth around seven billion US dollars.
The film studio Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) and the streaming service Netflix are deepening their existing Pay 1 agreement. This was announced by Sony in a press release. The Pay-1 agreement means that all SPE productions worldwide will initially be released exclusively on Netflix after cinema and home cinema exploitation (DVD, Blu-Ray, video on demand).
Nothing will change for Netflix customers in Germany and the USA: a five-year contract for Pay 1 rights already exists for these regions and Southeast Asia. In other European countries, including Switzerland, the new agreement will gradually take effect from 2026. It will apply to all new productions from 2029. To date, Sony productions in Switzerland - with the exception of Marvel Cinematic Universe films such as «Spider-Man: Far From Home» - have been shown exclusively on various pay TV services.
Some productions are already confirmed for Netflix
Already confirmed for Netflix premiere is the upcoming live-action film adaptation of Nintendo's «The Legend of Zelda», «Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse» and other «Spider-Man» films, the film adaptation of Kristin Hannah's bestseller «The Nightingale» and for the announced four-part «Beatles» film series by Sam Mendes.
The contract also includes an agreement under which Netflix will include selected older SPE films on sale. It is not yet known which films these are. Nor is it known how much Netflix will pay for the Pay 1 rights. Variety reports that the contract is worth around seven billion US dollars, which would make it the most expensive Pay 1 contract in history.
Netflix is currently investing in the rights.
Netflix is currently investing aggressively
Netflix was the only major streaming supplier until a few years ago. When the major Hollywood studios realised that they were missing out on money, many of them founded their own streaming services. Disney, Paramount and even Apple entered the streaming market. Since then, film and series fans have been confronted with a frustrating jumble of different streaming plans from the many suppliers.
After the major expansion phase, the new trend now seems to be towards consolidation: Disney bought Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox, for example, Warner teamed up with the Discovery Channel and Paramount merged with Skydance. This also has an impact on the streaming market.
Netflix is currently in a dispute over the takeover of the cinema and streaming division of the renowned studio Warner Bros. The company submitted an offer of around 83 billion US dollars in December - but the studio Paramount is also interested in a takeover. How the drama ends remains to be seen.
Header image: Shutterstock/Arpan Bhatia
Feels just as comfortable in front of a gaming PC as she does in a hammock in the garden. Likes the Roman Empire, container ships and science fiction books. Focuses mostly on unearthing news stories about IT and smart products.
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