Image Credit: DreamWorks Television
A A while back, we covered the big news that Netflix has finally sorted out its licensing web with Sony Pictures, opening up a huge swath of movies to subscribers at the “Standard with Ads” tier. Well, ad-tier customers, the good news keeps coming.
We have seen another giant domino fall. After being locked behind a premium paywall since the ad tier launched in late 2022, almost the entire dreamworks animation television Library It is now fully streamable with commercials in the US and other regions.
If you’ve been following our coverage of the ad-level lockout, you’ll know that the DreamWorks lineup was one of the most frustrating omissions for parents. It always seemed a little strange. After all, these shows have a big red “Netflix Original” badge on them, so why wouldn’t Netflix be able to show them?
As we mentioned earlier, it all depends on legacy contracts. Long before Netflix launched its ad tier, it signed exclusive global streaming deals with DreamWorks. Because “ad-supported streaming” was not explicitly written into those old contracts, DreamWorks (and its parent company, NBCUniversal) had to formally give Netflix permission to run advertisements against their content. It seems the ink has finally dried.
Here’s the full list of DreamWorks TV titles that have been officially freed from the ad-level padlock:
- 3 Below: Tales Of Arcadia (2019)- 2 seasons
- Dragons: Rescue Riders: Hunt for the Golden Dragon (2020)- Specific
- Dragons: Rescue Riders: Hatsagalore Holiday (2020)- Specific
- Dragons: Rescue Riders: Secret of Songwing (2020)- Specific
- Fast and Furious Spy Racers (2021)- 6 seasons
- Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (2020)- 3 seasons
- Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight (2023)- 3 seasons
- poetry time city (2021)- 2 seasons
- Rhyme Time Town Singalongs (2020)- 1 season
- Team Zenko Go (2022)- 2 seasons
- Bad Guys: Haunted Robbery (2024)- Specific
- Bad Guys: The Series (2026)- 1 season
- The Boss Baby: Back in the Crib (2023)- 2 seasons
- The Boss Baby: Christmas Bonus (2022)- Specific
With these titles now unblocked, the total number of titles blocked in the United States will drop to less than 50, down from more than 300 when the ad tier first launched.
a strange holdout
Now, notice how we said About All DreamWorks TV Shows?
For some unknown reason, Wizards: Tales of Arcadia (2020) – 1 season Remains locked at ad level. We’ve double-checked our data, and still trollhunters And 3 down Completely free and clear to watch with ads, the third installment of Guillermo del Toro’s incredible animated universe is still displaying the dreaded padlock icon.
Why? it’s hard to say. This could be a simple backend glitch on Netflix’s part that will be quietly fixed in the coming days, or there could be some weird, hyper-specific co-production rights issue that’s preventing it (Double Dare You Productions is also attached). We’ll keep an eye on this and let you know if it changes.
Before you add all of these to your kids’ watch list, there’s one big caveat you need to be aware of.
Although it’s great that the ad level can finally be seen kipo And Fast and Furious Spy RacersThese titles are slowly disappearing from Netflix altogether.
Despite the “Netflix Original” branding, Netflix doesn’t actually own these shows – they simply lease the exclusive global distribution rights for a set period of time. As we’ve documented extensively, those licensing windows are starting to expire. Once a show’s final season reaches its respective anniversary (often around the 5-year mark, though this varies by contract), the rights revert back to NBCUniversal. We’ve already seen a number of older DreamWorks shows move off the platform, and all of the titles listed above are on the clock.
So, if you are an ad-tier customer waiting to check out Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts or try new boss baby Series, don’t put it off too long.
Finally, what are you most excited to see on the ad level? Let me know in the comments below!
