Netflix reportedly paying $44M for exclusive rights to NBC's 'The Blacklist'

Streaming video service Netflix has never been shy about spending money to acquire fresh TV content, but its latest licensing deal might be one of the company’s most expensive to date.

The company has picked up exclusive rights to hit NBC TV series The Blacklist, a crime drama staring James Spader as former government agent Raymond “Red” Reddington. Netflix is apparently spending upwards of $2 million per episode (or $44 million for the first season), reports Deadline.

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This isn’t necessarily the most Netflix has spent on a content deal, as original series House of Cards is said to have cost the company an estimated $50 million per 13-episode season. However if the $2 million per episode figure is true, it would be a pretty high price tag for content that wasn’t originally developed for Netflix.

Spending that much may seem like a risky move, but Netflix has built its entire business strategy around supplying content-hungry subscribers with original (or nearly original) TV shows. And the last thing Netflix wants is its subscribers to cancel due to a lack of material to watch.

Deadline’s sources indicate that The Blacklist is expected to debut on Netflix as early as next week, which would make sense considering that the company usually adds new shows just before TV networks premiere the following season.