Sep 23, 2024

New Model for Indie Animation Producers: Netflix Licenses Youtube Hit “The Amazing Digital Circus”

Netflix has signed a licensing deal with Glitch Productions to air their breakout Youtube series “The Amazing Digital Circus”.

Netflix will release the first three episodes on October 4. In the future, six episodes will be released on Netflix the same day they are released on Youtube.

Produced and directed by Gooseworx, this Australian CG animated indie series has been an online sensation since its launch last October. The pilot episode has received over 346 million views on Youtube since its debut on October 13, 2023, and the second episode, released in May of this year, has received over 121 million views.

The terms of the licensing partnership between Netflix and Glitch Productions were not disclosed, but Glitch said in a statement on their social media accounts that Netflix does not own the rights to the show. The company said, “We are still independently financing everything, we still have full control of the show, and episodes will always continue to be released first on YouTube.”

In an interview with Cartoon Brew last year, Jasmine Yang, general manager and development producer at Glitch, said, “We are a Youtube-first company. We strongly believe in the future and potential of Youtube for feature animation.” Yang further explained that the terms offered by streamers are not in line with the company's vision. 'Control of the brand is essential for us. With us working directly with the showrunners, we control the product, marketing, and licensing, which allows us to more accurately translate the vision of the artists”

. [Glitch's new licensing deal with Netflix is noteworthy and could be a win-win for both parties: for Netflix, it allows them to keep young viewers on their platform without losing them to Youtube; for Glitch, it allows them to keep their artists on their own platform without losing them to the likes of Youtube, For Glitch Productions, they can benefit from a wider audience without losing ownership, creative control, and ancillary rights to their ideas. This is the type of mutually beneficial relationship that the community should be cheering for, as it could pave the way for a healthier and more sustainable collaboration model between streamers and independent animation producers.