NBC has become quite the digital distribution whore, like they broke up with their longtime lover and are slutting it up to make them jealous or something. Their latest partner is Netflix.com, where subscribers can watch Heroes eps the day after they air—the release curiously avoids the word "stream"—as well as past eps of 30 Rock, The Office and others. Okay, this might've been cool last year, or even a couple months ago, but nothing so far indicates how the Netflix deal is at all different from what you get on Hulu or NBC.com or NBC Direct, though the guess is that Netflixsters might be spared annoying ads.
It's not a bad deal, just a seemingly redundant one on NBC's part—how many sites do we need to be able to watch Heroes on? From the Netflix side, it's pretty good, though—it gives them more content on the digital distribution front, which might entice eyeballs to it that might have otherwise not strayed in that direction. Moreover, it might draw other networks into a deal with them if it proves to be click-sticky.
That said, I wonder if Netflix realized when NBC promised them "exclusive subscription video-on-demand rights to [Heroes]" that it was already available at 76 other sites. Don't worry Netflix, it's not you, it's them. They just came out of a really rough divorce, and they're just not ready for a real commitment right now. [Variety via NewTeeVee]