When HBO's signature series, The Sopranos, left the premium channel, it found its next window of airings on basic cable on A&E. The rise of streaming video has opened a new platform of distribution with Showtime announcing its deal for making available all seasons from Dexter on Netflix. "A Netflix spokesman said it is an 'exclusive, multiyear' deal." But certainly, once this deal expires, basic cable could be its next home. But no longer is basic cable the next stop after pay channels.
The rise of video streaming with competition from Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix has created a new syndication window that has bumped cable and other windows down a peg. How lucrative this window is for content makers and distributors remain to be seen. Certainly, given the demand for streaming content, strong shows like Dexter, "set a ratings record for Showtime, averaging 2.8 million viewers", are important for demonstrating value that Netflix is delivering to its current and prospective customers. Certainly we should expect future syndication deals coming to Hulu and Amazon soon. And it continues to justify the notion that content is king.
