A New Model For Indie Animation Producers: Netflix Has Licensed Youtube Hit ‘The Amazing Digital Circus’

In what might be a first for Netflix, the streamer has signed a licensing deal with Glitch Productions to air their breakout Youtube series The Amazing Digital Circus.

Netflix will launch the first three episodes on October 4, the same day that the show’s third episode premieres on Youtube. In the future, an additional six episodes will be available on Netflix the same day they launch on Youtube.

The Australian cg-animated indie series created and directed by Gooseworx has been an online sensation since launching last October. The pilot episode has amassed over 346 million views on Youtube since its debut on October 13, 2023, while the second episode, launched this past May, has accumulated over 121 million views.

Terms of the licensing partnership between Netflix and Glitch Productions have not been revealed, but in a statement on their social media account, Glitch said that Netflix does not own rights to the show. “We’re still independently funding everything, we still get full control of the show, and episodes will continue to ALWAYS come out on YouTube first,” the company said.

In an interview with Cartoon Brew last year, Glitch’s general manager and development producer Jasmine Yang said that, “We are a Youtube-first company. We believe very strongly in the future and potential of Youtube for long-form animation.” Yang further explained that the terms offered by streamers weren’t aligned with the company’s vision. “Control of the brand is essential to us. Having control of merchandise, marketing, and licensing under us, who work directly with the showrunner, lets us translate the artists’ visions more accurately.”

Glitch’s new licensing deal with Netflix is notable and could be a win-win for both parties. For Netflix, it will keep younger viewers on their platform instead of losing them to Youtube, while Glitch Productions will benefit from a broader audience without losing ownership, creative control, or ancillary rights to their idea. It’s the type of mutually-beneficial relationship that should be cheered on by the community as it could pave the way for healthier and more sustainable models of collaboration between streamers and independent animation producers.