Stan, the joint venture paid streaming service owned by the Nine Network and Fairfax, has signed an output deal with Hollywood's CBS Studios.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The deal delivers the service, which is slated to launch early next year, streaming rights to the critically acclaimed United States dramas Ray Donovan, Dexter, Californication, Nurse Jackie and The Good Wife.
It will also add a number of key library series to the service, including the Star Trek original series, Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, the CSI franchise, including CSI, CSI: Miami and CSI:NY, the original Twin Peaks, Oz, Deadwood and the iconic 1980s soap Dynasty.
The CBS Studios deal covers more than 1200 hours of CBS and Showtime programming.
It follows a number of similar deals for Stan signed with key US studios, including a deal with Sony Pictures that included Breaking Bad, the Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul and new series Mozart in the Jungle and Transparent.
The Sony deal also included a library of films such as The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, 21 Jump Street and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Another deal, signed with the iconic studio MGM, included rights to the critically acclaimed Fargo, the comedy series Will & Grace, The L Word and a raft of film titles such as When Harry Met Sally, Silence of the Lambs and the Rocky franchise.
It also has a deal with BBC Worldwide, which includes some of the BBC library's best titles, including the iconic comedies Absolutely Fabulous and Fawlty Towers, Sherlock, Ripper Street, Luther, Wallander, Top Gear and Doctor Who.
Stan's chief executive Mike Sneesby said the service would be a value-for-money entertainment service that made premium content accessible to everyone.
Though Stan's parent company StreamCo has not announced pricing yet, it is expected the service will fall in the range of similar US services such as Netflix and Hulu Plus, which charge about US$10 a month.
It will offer on-demand content in high-definition on multiple platforms, including television, tablets, computers and mobile phones.
Mr Sneesby said CBS had a proven track record of creating the most-watched TV shows, loved by audiences around the world. "This is why we've committed to bringing their flagship dramas and the best of their catalogue to Stan."
CBS's president of global distribution Armando Nunez said his company was pleased to sign a deal, which would further showcase CBS programming in this important region.
The agreement created a new revenue stream for CBS, while expanding the fan base for its popular current and classic series, Mr Nunez said.
The two deals will increase growing pressure in the television rights sector, as potential players seek to tie up streaming rights to key programming libraries.
The main US streaming player, Netflix, is also planning a launch in the Australian market next year.
Netflix's launch announcement focused on original commissioned US series, including Marco Polo, BoJack Horseman, Marvel's Daredevil and the Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda comedy Grace and Frankie.
Netflix has not confirmed it will air the third season of House of Cards when it launches, but that series is slated to launch late February in the US and Netflix is unlikely to risk consumer anger by delaying it.
The Nine Network and Fairfax announced earlier this year they would be joint venture partners in Stan, each contributing $50 million to the start-up service.
A launch date has not been announced.
