Window Shopping: Why Holding Back Pays Off in Streaming Distribution

As audiences continue to shun theatrical outings post-lockdown—citing rising costs, persistent disruptions, and an erosion of moviegoing etiquette—studios are growing increasingly unwilling or unable to deliver films that justify the hassle.

In response, they’re rewriting the playbook for film distribution. With box office volatility and streaming churn upending old models, release strategies have become essential tools not just for monetization but for salvaging audience interest and justifying content investments across platforms.

From Fixed to Fluid: Pay-One Windows Lose Uniformity

Distributors are no longer tied to a single strategy for releasing films. Instead, each major player is now juggling theatrical, transactional, and streaming windows with increasing precision. Below is an examination of how studios like Universal, Sony, and Paramount are embracing staggered, platform-specific Pay-One strategies.

Disney has leaned into consistency. Most of its films are released on Disney+ around three months after their theatrical release, preceded by a brief transactional window. But exceptions remain—especially for non-franchise blockbusters that deviate from the company’s main SVOD pillars.

Meanwhile, Lionsgate plays the long game. The studio allows its titles an average of four months of transactional exclusivity before making them available on Starz, its vertically integrated streaming platform. This approach maximizes transactional revenue before feeding subscriber demand.

Universal has taken a hybrid stance. While most titles arrive on Peacock within a similar window to Disney’s content, Universal reserves a portion of the Pay-One period for Amazon Prime. For instance, Peacock might get a title early for four months, followed by ten months on Amazon Prime, then back to Peacock. Animated titles are treated even more surgically: they move from Peacock to Netflix and back again in a staggered Pay-One arc.

Paramount is in active experimentation mode. Some titles like “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” received PVOD windows just two weeks before launching simultaneously on Paramount+ and standard transactional platforms. However, major tentpoles like “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning” followed the more conservative path, waiting nearly seven months before landing on Paramount+.

Sony, lacking an in-house SVOD platform, maintains the most “traditional” release path—allowing five months before titles hit Netflix in the Pay-One window. This relatively conservative approach gives Sony maximum leverage to negotiate competitive licensing fees while preserving downstream value.

Warner Bros. is aggressive in the PVOD space. Most of its titles reach Max three months after theatrical, although major hits take longer. Warner offsets this timing by increasing transactional opportunities, keeping its options open across various pricing models.

Content valuation has never been more critical, with streaming platforms investing billions in original programming and licensing agreements to stay competitive in a crowded market.

US Film Release Timing (2024)

Streaming Saturation Demands Smarter Windowing

SVOD growth may appear robust, but profitability is lagging, and according to many accounts––streaming is tanking the studios. Consumers now spend an average of $69 monthly across four services, but nearly 40% say streaming isn’t worth the cost. This dissatisfaction leads to a churn problem that even the largest platforms struggle to contain.

Enter strategic windowing. Studios are using timing not just to protect revenue but also to stagger access across price tiers. Early-access tiers, segmented genre-based subscriptions, and tiered release dates are now tools to extract incremental revenue while slowing subscriber defection.

Theatrical success remains a crucial marker. Platforms increasingly rely on strong box office performance to gauge downstream value. Streaming services are more likely to pay top dollar for films with proven theatrical legs, making box office tracking newly relevant in deal valuations.

Discover What Streaming Services Pay to License Films and Shows

Accurate Rates. Global Insights. Confident Decisions.

Ditch the guesswork—access accurate licensing rates and real deal terms from actual film and television agreements across global markets.

Each report delivers verified values from streaming deals across multiple release windows, giving you the clarity to price, package, and license your content with precision.

Designed for industry decision-makers, our downloadable reports provide the clarity and context needed to inform negotiations and guide smarter long-term strategies.

Licensing Terms & Included Programs:

Gain access to detailed rate cards for films and series across key territories and licensing windows—backed by over a decade of verified deal data across formats and media types.

Motion Pictures: Pay-1, First Run, Second Window Features, Recent Library Features, Library Features, Current and Premium Made-For-TV Films and Direct-To-Video Films, covering many license periods over the last decade
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US Active Content Licensing Deals (Updated)

Film Studio	Film Slate	Pay-1 Window	Pay-2 Window, etc.
Disney	Disney	Disney+	N/A
Disney	Fox / Searchlight	Disney+, Hulu, HBO, Max	N/A
A24	A24	HBO / Max / Cinemax	N/A
Neon	Neon	Hulu	N/A
Lionsgate	Lionsgate Films	Starz	N/A
Lionsgate	Summit	Starz	N/A
MGM	MGM	MGM+	Amazon / Paramount+
Paramount	Paramount	Paramount+	MGM+
Sony	Sony Pictures	Netflix	All Disney Platforms
Universal	Animated Films	Peacock / Netflix	Netflix
Universal	Live-Action Films	Peacock / Amazon	Starz
Warner Bros.	Warner Bros.	HBO / Max	N/A

Licensing Still Fuels the Machine

Despite the DTC push, traditional licensing remains a revenue engine. A24’s new deal with Warner Bros. Discovery ensures that over 100 films will be distributed through HBO, Max, and Cinemax in a Pay-One pipeline. Similarly, Sony split its rights between Netflix (for the first 9 months) and Disney (for months 10-18), with international rights sold separately—a clear sign that even global studios still value piecemeal licensing.

Universal’s live-action and animated film rights are split across Peacock, Amazon Prime, and Netflix depending on the title and phase of the Pay-One window. These deals illustrate how studios are extracting value at every interval of a film’s lifecycle, often monetizing the same film multiple times in different quarters.

Even Starz, despite losing Sony, went in-house with Lionsgate and Summit titles and picked up Pay-Two rights to Universal content. However, its future remains uncertain without high-profile Pay-One content.

FilmTake Away: Distribution Is Now a Deal Structure Game

Windowing no longer determines when a film is available; it defines how much value can be extracted, where, and when it is available. Studios embracing flexible, multi-platform release strategies are gaining a competitive edge, while those sticking to outdated playbooks risk being priced out of their own content. The future isn’t just about what films get made—it’s about how they get distributed. In this environment, the smartest release is the one that adapts to both market signals and audience behavior.