Netflix and Amazon are once again buying more third-party content - this time with a clear focus on second windows. New figures from Show Tracker show a growing number of multi-market second window deals secured by both platforms in early 2025. Netflix leads the way, but Amazon is also engaging.
Paramount has made the most of this trend in 2025. Several of its high-profile titles are now on Netflix, while also remaining on Paramount+ or SkyShowtime. Netflix Latin America has picked up all of these deals so far, but Netflix's approach varies across other markets.
Although Netflix is Paramount’s main partner for second windows, it’s not the only one. The studio has sold its Sonic spin-off ‘Knuckles’ to Amazon Prime in seven tracked markets. Another title, ‘1923’, was licensed to Amazon Prime in Australia, while heading to Netflix in five other countries.
Other studios are following suit. Lionsgate has landed a multi-market deal with Netflix for ‘The Rookie’, a procedural drama that echoes the strategy used for Paramount’s ‘Fire Country’. These shows could benefit from Netflix’s reach – helping attract new audiences who may return to the original platform for future seasons. It’s a tactic that suits procedural dramas in particular, which often run for more series than their serial counterparts.
NBCUniversal was once a key Netflix partner. Between 2016 and 2019, it licensed titles like ‘The Good Place’, ‘Dirty John’ and ‘Good Girls’ to Netflix in near-global deals outside the US. Netflix often even branded these acquisitions as Netflix Originals. While those types of deals haven’t returned at the same scale, NBCUniversal is still doing business with Netflix.
Its sci-fi series ‘Resident Alien’ now has a second window on Netflix across six markets. And ‘A Discovery of Witches’, which previously premiered on Sky Spain in Spain and HBO Max Sweden, has since arrived on Netflix in both countries.
As streamers look to expand global reach and maximise content value, second window deals are firmly back on the agenda. Netflix is leading, but Amazon and others - including BVOD and AVOD services - are quickly following. For studios, these partnerships offer a smart route to extend exposure and drive long-term content returns.
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