Hollywood (Cautiously) Tries Internet "Syndication"

Hollywood is continuing its cautious experiment with establishing cable-independent or at least "complementary" (to quote Hulu CEO Jason Kilar's diplomatic language) distribution deals.

Earlier this week Warners and Netflix announced  a quasi-syndication deal for "Nip/Tuck" via Netflix. Though a modest deal in the grand scheme of things, it's potentially an interesting benchmark:

1. Warner Home Video came to the conclusion that Netflix distribution is a reasonable consolation alternative given their prior struggles trying to syndicate Nip/Tuck’s racy near R-rated, FX-level fare.
2. The show will still be syndicated on MTV Network's niche, gay-oriented Logo channel, helping avoid too much of an industry precedent in "internet-only" syndication just yet.

• If the Variety report is correct, the Netflix dollars/episode are well within a respectable range for second-tier cable syndication
• The industry's overall window structure has been preserved, saving precedent-setting confrontations with legacy distributors for another day.