It’s still too soon to tell how “Gotham” will perform for Fox when it premieres in a few weeks. Fox won a bidding war with the other broadcast networks to secure Bruno Heller’s Batman prequel, which will feature Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue and Jada Pinkett Smith in a large ensemble cast while exploring the early days of James Gordon, Bruce Wayne and Batman’s greatest enemies.
Netflix is making a large bet that “Gotham” will be this fall’s breakout hit. According to Deadline, Netflix has secured the streaming rights to “Gotham” for approximately $1.75 million dollars per episode. That’s not quite as high as the $2 million per episode that Netflix put down on “The Blacklist” last week, but it seems to be a preemptive strike against Hulu or Amazon Prime getting the show.
In a statement, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos said that “Gotham is the most anticipated new series of the fall season and we are thrilled to offer it to our members around the world. 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.”
Related: Netflix Lands ‘The Blacklist’ For $2 Million Per Episode
This is believed to be the first time that the streaming video rights for a broadcast network series have been sold before the first episode aired. As alluded to in Sarandos’ statement, the Netflix deal includes several international territories while also leaving the door open for Warner Bros. TV to sell the syndicated rights to “Gotham” to cable and broadcast networks in the future.
“Gotham” will premiere on Fox on Monday, September 22. The first season of “Gotham” will come to Netflix in September 2015, ahead of a potential second season of “Gotham” on Fox.
