Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland Moves From US Network ABC to Netflix
US TV hitmaker Shonda Rhimes is moving her production company Shondaland from its home at US Network ABC over to Netflix under a multi-year deal the streaming giant has announced.
If you’re thinking “why should I care about this?”, it depends if you’re a fan of shows like ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘Scandal’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder’, all which come from the writer/producer’s studio. Whilst this move shouldn’t affect where those shows air in the UK (Sky Living) or the US (ABC), it does mean any new shows from Shondaland will air exclusively on Netflix.
“Shondaland’s move to Netflix is the result of a shared plan Ted Sarandos and I built based on my vision for myself as a storyteller and for the evolution of my company,” said Rhimes. “Ted provides a clear, fearless space for creators at Netflix. He understood what I was looking for — the opportunity to build a vibrant new storytelling home for writers with the unique creative freedom and instantaneous global reach provided by Netflix’s singular sense of innovation. The future of Shondaland at Netflix has limitless possibilities.
Our current shows will continue to thrive on ABC and Shondaland will be there every step of the way. I could not have asked for a better home to begin my career. I continue to be grateful to work with so many talented people – especially our studio gladiator Patrick Moran and our most powerful and brilliant champion Channing Dungey.
Starting today, we are thrilled to begin creating new Shondaland stories with Netflix. Everyone at Shondaland is honoured to expand both our audience and our creative identity with Ted and the entire team at Netflix.”
Netflix are really flexing their muscles at the moment, having recently closed a deal to buy Mark Millar’s Comic Book Company ‘Millarworld’, allowing them to create tv shows and film based on his properties such as Jupiter’s Legacy’, ‘Chrononauts’, and ‘Superior’.
As I said at the top of the story, this shouldn’t affect ‘Grey’s Anatomy’, ‘Scandal’ and ‘How to Get Away with Murder’ which all air on Sky Living in the UK, however it does mean that, should we find Sky deciding to drop any of these shows, they will have a ready made home on Netflix.
