Movies produced by Sony Corp. (SNE) studios were pulled from
Netflix Inc.'s (NFLX) online streaming service Friday because of
what Netflix said is a "temporary contract issue" between Sony and
Liberty Media Corp.'s pay-TV distributor Starz, according to the
Hollywood Reporter.
Starz has been negotiating with Netflix over a possible renewal
of its digital distribution deal with Sony, which currently runs
through early 2012.
Netflix notified its members in a blog post Friday.
Sony-produced movies are still available to be rented as DVDs
through the mail.
Starz said in a statement that "all parties are working
diligently to resolve the issue."
A person familiar with the matter said Netflix's explosive
subscriber growth triggered a clause in Sony's agreement with Starz
that resulted in the stoppage.
Netflix and Starz didn't say how long the contract issue may
take to be resolved, but sources said the parties are hoping to
work through it as quickly as possible. Sony didn't comment.
Full story at
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-movies-disappear-netflix-streaming-202922
-Dow Jones Newswires; 212-416-2900