Netflix and CBS have made a deal allowing the online subscription service to stream all seasons of Dexter.
Beginning Halloween, the first four seasons of the recently ended Showtime hit will be up for streaming, Variety reports. Then the remaining seasons will become available Jan. 1, 2014.
Though CBS will still be selling the syndication rights of Dexter, Netflix will be the sole Internet Video-on-Demand distributor.
As for why the show isn't being released all at once, Netflix won't say as details of the deal have not been revealed. But a rep did offer: "We are able to start streaming the first four as early as Halloween so we are. We didn't want to wait until Jan. 1 to put all eight out at the same time."
Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos commented that "We're thrilled to have 'Dexter,' one of Showtime's highest-rated shows on Netflix," according to Zap2It. "This is one of the great serialized dramas of the past decade and we know our members will enjoy discovering or reliving the twisted world of Dexter Morgan anywhere and anytime they want."
This could help boost viewership even more for the finished series as its helped other "season-after" series increase theirs.
The deal with CBS is an interesting one, Variety notes, as Netflix used to have the rights to stream Showtime's Californication and Dexter. Then Showtime pulled them both in 2011 to be available exclusively through its Showtime Anytime TV Everywhere service.
image: CBS/Showtime