Netflix Gets ‘Mad Men,’ and That Opens Some Big Questions

Posted on Apr 6, 2011

Taro the Shiba Inu (CC-BY)

Netflix had its share of skeptics when the company known for mailing DVDs started streaming movies such as “Alien vs. Ninja” on demand, but enough people paid for the privilege that Netflix has been able to increase the quality of content on offer—and the threat to those cable pirates who have the nerve to charge upward of $100 a month for entertainment.

“Mad Men,” the hit AMC show that was already available on Netflix in Canada, is coming to the company’s U.S. servers, where it will join “30 Rock,” various Ken Burns documentaries, “The Larry Sanders Show” and other excellent ways to spend an evening.

It will be interesting to see how lawmakers and regulators respond to the disruption of traditional means of communication by companies such as Netflix. For instance, if subscription streaming services become the dominant form of at-home entertainment, what obligation do those companies have to public interest programming such as C-SPAN?

In other words, who watches the instant watchmen?  —PZS

Mashable:

Netflix has signed a multiyear syndication deal with Lionsgate to bring the first four seasons of Emmy Award-winning series Mad Men to Netflix’s instant streaming service beginning July 27. Additional seasons will be added to the network after they’ve finished airing on the AMC Network.

The first four seasons of Mad Men are already available via instant streaming to Netflix’s customers in Canada under a separate agreement.

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