‘Mad Men’ Deal Shows How Netflix Can Be an Ally, Lionsgate Says

Also expects overseas success for “Hunger Games”

Pointing to an April syndication deal for "Mad Men," Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said on an earnings call Wednesday that the company views Netflix as an ally.

"We view Google, Netflix, iTunes, Amazon and other new digital media players as partners, not adversaries," he said.

Also read: 'Mad Men' Pays a Premium to Stream 'Mad Men'

The company struck a deal in April to allow Netflix to stream 91 episodes of the series in a deal worth a $1 million per episode.

The company also predicted that "The Hunger Games" franchise might perform even better overseas than it will in the United States, even though the books on which it is based are more popular domestically.

Chief Operating Officer Joe Drake said the movie "was the highest selling film weve ever had" at the Cannes Film Festival. He said the books have started to penetrate overseas and "we see even more potential at the box office there."

On Tuesday, Lionsgate announced that it lost $53.6 million in its fiscal year 2011 due to debt and interest payments. But it reported a net gain of $46.1 million for its fourth fiscal quarter, a turnaround compared to the comparable period the prior year, when the company posted a $22.3 million loss.

Comments