Fox's FXX wins 'Simpsons' cable, streaming rights

FXX, the new pay-TV network from Fox, bought the right to show reruns of "The Simpsons" on cable and online through the network's forthcoming TV Everywhere app FXNow from corporate sibling 21st Century Fox.

Those rights reportedly did not come cheap. Estimates in the press ranged from $400 million to $800 million for the agreement, following what the FXX network called a "vigorous bidding war" for the show's 24 seasons.

That's not to say "The Simpsons" have never appeared online before. Episodes are available for purchase through storefronts such as Apple's (Nasdaq: AAPL) iTunes Store and Amazon (Nasdaq: AMZN) Instant Video. And some episodes of the current season are available on Hulu Plus.

But the deal with FXX will be the first time the show's entire catalog will be available to consumers who don't want to buy each episode or season of the show.

For more:
- the Los Angeles Times had this story 
- the New York Times had this story

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