Shonda Rhimes leaving ABC for Netflix

Shonda Rhimes, creator of hit shows “Scandal,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “How to Get Away with Murder,” has signed a deal with streaming giant Netflix, leaving Disney-owned ABC.

While Rhimes’ staple shows will continue to air on ABC, her production company Shondaland will be moving to Netflix where she and her producing partner Betsy Beers will conceive of “new series and other projects.”

Netflix made the announcement in a statement released on Monday.

This is coming just days after Disney announced that its contract with Netflix will be ending in 2019, and they will be pulling all of their shows from the streaming service.

Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos has hailed Shonda Rhimes, calling her one of the greatest storytellers in the history of television. He said:

Shonda Rhimes is one of the greatest storytellers in the history of television.

Her work is gripping, inventive, pulse-pounding, heart-stopping, taboo-breaking television at its best.

I’ve gotten the chance to know Shonda and she’s a true Netflixer at heart – she loves TV and films, she cares passionately about her work, and she delivers for her audience.

We’re so excited to welcome her to Netflix.

According to CNN, Rhimes in a statement has said the future of Shondaland under Netflix has limitless opportunities.

She said she was looking for an “opportunity to build a vibrant new storytelling home for writers with the unique creative freedom and instantaneous global reach provided by Netflix’s singular sense of innovation.”

Read the full Netflix statement HERE.