• Variety, Wednesday, April 6, 2011 11:30 AM

Strengthening its premium content position, Netflix has secured the online streaming rights to all seven seasons of "Mad Men." For the whole enchilada, Netflix is reportedly paying the show's producer Lions Gate Entertainment upwards of $100 million. On the news, Variety quips: "Netflix is acting more and more like a well-heeled cable network every day."

"As some executives continue to predict that the TV broadcasters and film studios would soon reduce Netflix's streaming-content supply, the Web's top video rental service continues to defy the naysayers," writes CNet. In the words of Digital Trends, "The war over the streaming rights to popular television shows and movies is only beginning, but Netflix has landed another powerful blow."

"The new agreement marks the latest deal that Netflix has struck with a film and television studio," reports The Wall Street Journal. "The company has recently inked a slew of deals to add new content to its streaming site, including one with Miramax, which includes ‘Pulp Fiction' and other iconic independent movies." "The first-of-its-kind deal means that reruns for the critically acclaimed program won't air on a broadcast or cable network, as typically is the case," notes The Los Angeles Times. "It's the first time that Netflix has bought syndication rights to a currently airing program for its online streaming service."

"It's an important step for Netflix to take if it wants to keep ahead in the race against on-demand streaming services such as Hulu Plus," PCWorld writes. "It's also a good step for cable companies to take--embracing (sort of) the online streaming business, instead of pretending it doesn't exist."

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