"Game of Thrones" creators coming to Netflix
- Netflix has signed a $200 million deal with "Game of Thrones" showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Deadline reports.
- The streaming company had previously signed celebrity showrunners Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes.
Netflix is continuing its spending spree on show creators, signing "Game of Thrones" writers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss to a multiyear contract, according to Deadline. The Hollywood Reporter put the value of the deal at a whopping $200 million.
Benioff and Weiss, who spent more than a decade together at the cable network producing the critically acclaimed Game of Thrones series, had been shopping for a new home for months, according to Deadline, which first reported the deal. Netflix beat out HBO parent WarnerMedia, Disney, Comcast, Amazon and Apple for the duo, the publication noted.
Netflix did not respond to requests for comment. Legal representatives for Benioff and Weiss were unavailable for comment.
The writers are only the latest mega-producers picked up by Netflix, which faces mounting video-streaming competition from Apple, AT&T, Comcast, Disney and others debuting their own streaming services.
AT&T said last month that it will pull "Friends" from Netflix to beef up its own streaming platform, which is scheduled to debut next year. Disney this week announced that its joint Disney Plus, ESPN and Hulu streaming bundle will launch later this year for about $13 per month.
But explosive growth of streaming platforms has helped hitmakers like Benioff and Weiss land mega-deals, pulling in multi-million dollar figures for producers with a proven track record.
Netflix last year closed a five-year $300 million contract with long-time Fox collaborator Ryan Murphy, who produced popular titles like "Glee" and "American Horror Story." In 2017, it signed Shonda Rhimes, known for programs such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "How to Get Away with Murder," for a reported $100 million to produce eight shows.
