Updated
Updated · Variety · Aug 25
Shonda Rhimes Renews 5-Year Netflix Deal as Bridgerton Tops 113.3 Million Views
Updated
Updated · Variety · Aug 25

Shonda Rhimes Renews 5-Year Netflix Deal as Bridgerton Tops 113.3 Million Views

3 articles · Updated · Variety · Aug 25

Summary

  • Five more years will keep Shonda Rhimes and Shondaland at Netflix, extending an overall pact that has anchored the producer at the streamer since 2017.
  • The renewed agreement spans film, TV, gaming, merchandise and live events, broadening Netflix’s exclusive hold on Shondaland intellectual property.
  • Bridgerton helped drive the extension: Seasons 1 and 3 rank among Netflix’s all-time Top 10 with 113.3 million and 106 million views, while Season 4 drew more than 100 million views.
  • Netflix said it will also continue backing Shondaland inclusion efforts such as the Ladder Program, which trains underrepresented below-the-line creatives.
  • The deal preserves one of Netflix’s longest-running creative partnerships, which has also produced Inventing Anna, The Residence, Black Barbie and Dance Dreams: Hot Chocolate Nutcracker.

Insights

With Netflix expanding Shondaland into gaming and live events, is the streaming giant transforming into a broader lifestyle brand?
Could relying so heavily on the Bridgerton universe for global engagement become a vulnerability if viewer fatigue eventually sets in?