Netflix has signed a multi-year exclusive licensing agreement with The Weinstein Company that will give the streaming service first-run access to films such as The Artist — even ahead of premium cable channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz.

That means select Weinstein Company films — including foreign-language offerings, documentaries and select specialty titles — will debut on Netflix rather than with the premium cable networks, as had happened previously.

Variety reports that the deal will exclude films that are already part of The Weinstein Company's earlier agreement with Showtime. It isn't clear if those films will become available on Netflix after the Showtime window ends.

This isn't the first time Netflix has signed first-run deals with film studios. In September, the company signed a longterm pact with DreamWorks Animation. This followed an earlier arrangement with Relativity Media.

As Netflix faces increased competition from cable companies and streaming competitors such as Amazon and Hulu Plus, the company is angling to sign as many of these exclusive deals as it can. The company is also pushing head-first into developing original scripted content.