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Netflix Snags Shonda Rhimes From ABC

Under the multi-year deal, Rhimes will move her Shondaland production company from ABC Studios to Netflix.

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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In a surprise move, Netflix on Sunday announced that is has snagged Shonda Rhimes, the award-winning creator of ABC dramas like Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away With Murder to create new series for the streaming service.

Under the multi-year deal, Rhimes will move her Shondaland production company from ABC Studios to Netflix. Producing partner Betsy Beers will join her, too, as will 30 ShondaLand employees, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news.

Shonda RhimesRhimes makes $10 million per year at ABC, plus a portion of rerun and international sales, and has generated $2 billion for ABC over the years, according to the Journal; terms of the Netflix deal were not revealed.

"Shondaland's move to Netflix is the result of a shared plan [Netflix Chief Content Officer] Ted Sarandos and I built based on my vision for myself as a storyteller and for the evolution of my company," Rhimes said in a statement.

"Ted provides a clear, fearless space for creators at Netflix. He understood what I was looking for—the opportunity to build a vibrant new storytelling home for writers with the unique creative freedom and instantaneous global reach provided by Netflix's singular sense of innovation," she continued. "The future of Shondaland at Netflix has limitless possibilities."

Rhimes's existing shows "will continue to thrive on ABC and Shondaland will be there every step of the way," she said, which includes a new legal drama For The People and a Grey's spinoff, the Journal said. But going forward, Rhimes will "begin creating new Shondaland stories with Netflix [to] expand both our audience and our creative identity," she said.

Older episodes of Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away With Murder also stream on Netflix.

The move comes after Disney, which owns ABC, announced it would drop its films from Netflix beginning in 2019 to starts its own streaming service. It underscores the need for Netflix to produce its own content rather than rely on licensing movies and TV shows. It's had great success there already with shows like House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, Stranger Things, and more. But it plans to spend big bucks on talent and content going forward to make sure its catalog is worth the monthly fee.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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