No More Arrow Or The Flash On Netflix?

While fans of Arrow and The Flash have been able to count on the previous seasons of both shows hitting Netflix about the same time as new seasons air on The CW each fall, that practice might be coming to an end if CBS and Warner Bros. have their way.

A report in Bloomberg Business today stated that the companies are considering a paid streaming service for The CW, one that would charge subscribers around $2 to $4 a month in exchange for the ability to stream the network’s programming live and watch past episodes on-demand. No company affected by such a plan — which would also include Hulu, since it shows episodes from the current seasons of Arrow and The Flash — commented for the article, though a Netflix representative did confirm that its agreement with The CW would soon expire.

On the surface, this wouldn’t be horrible for fans of the two DC superhero shows, since it would allow them to save money versus a subscription to Netflix, to say nothing of cutting Hulu out of the equation as well. The problem is that people don’t tend to use Netflix just to watch those series, meaning a CW service would be in addition to a Netflix subscription, not a replacement for it.

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As with all things related to the current, ever-changing TV landscape, it’s going to come down to priorities for viewers and economics for the network and its owners. If CBS and Warner Bros. feel they can make more money and gain negotiating power with stations launching a standalone service for The CW, they’ll do it. And as fans of Oliver Queen and Barry Allen, we’ll just have to adjust.