Providing the biggest hint yet that Netflix is preparing to launch locally, the US-based company has secured exclusive Australian subscription video on-demand rights to the highly anticipated superhero television series Gotham.
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The US streaming giant, which has not launched its platform in Australia, looks to be building its arsenal ahead of a rumoured launch in 2015.
By acquiring subscription video on-demand (SVOD) rights from Time Warner's Warner Bros, Netflix is giving its biggest sign yet that it intends to launch in Australia.
While the local rights were part of a larger internationally exclusive SVOD rights deal between Warner Bros and Netflix announced two weeks ago, Australia was not mentioned.
Warner Bros, on Wednesday, confirmed to Fairfax Media that Netflix had secured the exclusive SVOD rights to Gotham in Australia.
At the time of publication, Netflix had not responded to phone calls and emails from Fairfax Media.
Nine Entertainment holds the broadcast, first-run, and in-season catch up rights to Gotham.
Netflix, should it launch in Australia, will not be able to stream the show until after the linear broadcast of each season on Nine. It's understood Nine will air Gotham later this year.
A Nine Network representative said any SVOD service would not be able to stream Gotham in Australia until a year after the broadcast premiere of the show on Nine.
Warner Bros international rights deal with Netflix is different to how the studio normally goes about selling rights, which is usually country-by-country.
Gotham tells the story of the fabled city and Bruce Wayne before he became Batman. The show stars Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue and Jada Pinkett Smith.
"The Batman origin story is sure to have massive global appeal so it is fitting that, along with Warner Television, we have created a new model for distributing a show that international and domestic audiences will love," Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said when the deal was announced earlier this month..
The move comes as Nine and Fairfax Media look to launch their own joint-venture streaming service StreamCo to rival the anticipated launch of Netflix in Australia, while the Seven Network has previously confirmed it is in talks with partners to launch its own streaming service.
On September 4, cable subscription service Foxtel slashed in basic cable package by halve to $25 per month, in what was seen by many analysts as preemptive strike ahead of a launch for Netflix in Australia. Foxtel is also planning to launch its triple-play offer buddling television, broadband and home phone services in the first quarter of 2015.
Chief executive and founder of Australian streaming and DVD service Quickflix, Stephen Langsford, has continually campaigned against Netflix turning a blind-eye to Australian users using VPNs (virtual private network) to bypass the site's geoblock and access the US service.
In the US, Netflix costs $US8.99 per month. However, there has been no indication of how much Netflix would charge if it launches in Australia.
