‘The Blacklist’ Episodes Online: Netflix Acquires NBC Show; Season 1 Confirmed To Start Streaming Sept. 7

NBC’s “The Blacklist” is coming to Netflix, but it is not coming cheap. Netflix has confirmed that it has purchased the rights to stream the show’s first and future seasons from Sony Pictures TV at the staggering price of $2 million per episode. “The Blacklist,” starring Emmy winner James Spader and Megan Boone, premiered last fall and became the number one rated new show of the television season. Season 1 of the show will begin streaming on Netflix Sep. 7, the site confirmed.

The hefty price is the largest Netflix has ever paid for a non-original series, far exceeding the $1.35 million paid for “The Walking Dead.” The price tag is comparable to those paid for syndication rights for major network series such as “NCIS: Los Angeles.” It is rare for a show to sell into syndication or off-market streaming after only one season, especially not tied to a bigger franchise (such as "NCIS" or "CSI").

The NBC drama has become big business for the network, with NBC announcing in May that the show will fill the coveted post-Super Bowl slot next year. After the Super Bowl the show will move to a Thursday time slot where NBC hopes it will revive a fledgling night for the network (the show has been airing on Mondays following "The Voice"). The show also commands unusually high premiums or advertising spots during the show. The series averages 14.6 million viewers per episode and, in 2013, Deadline reported the show charged $198,667 on average per 30-second spot, extremely high for a new series.

According to Deadline, the Netflix deal will make every episode of Season 1 available on the site on Sep. 7, while subsequent seasons will be made available following their respective finales. Fans have been waiting for answers on the big cliffhanger of the Season 1 finale, if Red is Liz’s father. Season 2 of “The Blacklist” premieres September 22 on NBC.

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