Mumbai: Netflix has struck a multi-year, exclusive global Pay-1 licensing agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment, significantly expanding a partnership that until now had been limited to select territories.
Under the deal, Sony’s feature films will stream on Netflix worldwide after completing their full theatrical and home-entertainment runs. The companies described the agreement as a first-of-its-kind Pay-1 arrangement with global reach.
The rollout will begin later in 2026 as existing, territory-specific licensing contracts expire. Netflix expects the Pay-1 window for Sony titles to be fully global by early 2029.
The pact builds on an earlier Pay-1 relationship that covered markets such as the US, Germany and parts of Southeast Asia. Beyond new theatrical releases, Netflix will also license select titles from Sony’s film and television library, broadening the depth of content available to subscribers.
Sony’s Motion Picture Group houses multiple film labels, including Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Classics.
Commenting on the deal, Lauren Smith, vice president of licensing and programming strategy at Netflix, said exclusive access to Sony’s films would add “incredible value” for members globally. She noted the strong US performance of franchises such as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and originals like Anyone But You, and said Netflix was now looking forward to extending that appeal worldwide.
On Sony’s side, Paul Littmann, EVP of global distribution at Sony Pictures Television, said the expanded Pay-1 agreement reinforced the enduring demand for Sony’s theatrical slate and highlighted the studio’s ability, as an independent major, to create flexible global partnerships.
Among the first Sony Pictures Entertainment titles expected to stream on Netflix under the new agreement are The Nightingale, adapted from Kristin Hannah’s novel and starring Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning together for the first time; Sony Pictures Animation’s Buds; Nintendo’s live-action The Legend of Zelda; Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, the final chapter in the Spider-Verse trilogy; and Sam Mendes’ planned quartet of films centred on The Beatles.
For Netflix, the agreement strengthens its post-theatrical movie pipeline at a global scale. For Sony, it secures a consistent worldwide Pay-1 outlet while preserving its long-held strategy of remaining independent of owning a proprietary streaming service.
