Netflix has struck a new long-term exclusive agreement with BMG for the management and administration of its music publishing rights worldwide outside the U.S., the companies announced on Wednesday. The companies forged a similar deal in 2017.
Under the arrangement, BMG will serve as Netflix’s exclusive music partner outside the U.S., handling rights and royalties for its original films and series. According to the announcement, BMG’S global rights and royalties team will work with Netflix to ensure efficient registration of music on its service, fast-track international royalty payments and identify new approaches to income tracking.
Like all BMG clients, Netflix will fall under BMG’s cloud-based rights management platform, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to optimize matching.
Netflix Vice President, Music Legal, Dominic Houston said, “BMG has been an outstanding partner to us — both a trusted third party and an innovator in the administration of music rights. This deal will allow us to continue to provide exceptional production support to our creators, while bringing the very best music to our members around the world.”
BMG CEO Hartwig Masuch said, “When the most technologically savvy entertainment company in the world chooses your platform to manage its precious music rights, that’s an endorsement. We are delighted to extend our successful collaboration with Netflix.”
Netflix is the world’s leading streaming entertainment service with 204 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages.
BMG, one of the world’s major music publishers, has a list of network clients that also includes ITV, Fremantle Media, Amblin Partners, Participant Media, AMC Network, Turner Broadcasting (TBS), Global Asylum and Rede Globo’s Som Livre.