The shows - which were launched at a time when the streaming service was desperate for original content, but were never wholly owned by Netflix - finally reached a point where they were no longer mutually beneficial now that Disney has its own streaming service in the works and Netflix has plenty of in-house hits (such as Stranger Things, for example).įans of the Marvel shows, however, have been decidedly less sympathetic to the reasons behind the decision to end the shows.Īs the streaming landscape becomes more bifurcated and partitioned, they won’t be alone, either.
#How to buy friends series series#
Most recently, Disney and Netflix were unable to reach an agreement to continue collaborating on the latter’s popular, interconnected series set in Marvel Studios’ cinematic universe, leading to the cancellation of Iron Fist, Luke Cage, and the show that started it all (and the best-reviewed of the bunch), Daredevil. That means Netflix might not be the only streaming service to offer the series next year, and might not offer it at all in 2020 and beyond - which certainly won’t inspire a lot of confidence in Netflix-subscribing fans of the series.Īs more streaming services emerge from multiple entities in the media landscape, these types of shifts are becoming increasingly commonplace, too.
#How to buy friends series tv#
The more in-demand TV shows and movies are, the more likely they are to entice subscribers, and that is how the ten seasons of Friends - which is reported to be one of the most popular pieces of licensed content on Netflix - suddenly became a major bargaining chip in the streaming landscape.Īccording to the original report on the Friends deal, the show’s presence on Netflix isn’t guaranteed beyond 2019 in the new deal, and maybe more importantly, it isn’t exclusive. Of course, launching a new streaming video service requires a lot of, well, video. The circumstances that led to the high-profile deal stem from Friends rights-owner WarnerMedia and parent company AT&T’s plans to launch their own HBO Max streaming service in 2019, much like Disney is doing with its upcoming Disney+ service and CBS has already done with CBS All Access. (Editor’s Note: Netflix confirmed in July 2019 that Friends will leave the streaming service in early 2020, with fellow sitcom The Office also leaving the service in 2021.) When a rumor began circulating in December 2018 that ’90s sitcom Friends would not be available on Netflix after this year, the notion seemed to wake a sleeping giant, with subscriber uproar quickly leading to a deal that reportedly cost the streaming service $100 million to retain the popular show through 2019.Īs chronicled by The New York Times, the relatively swift series of events that led to Netflix paying a steep price to keep the adventures of Ross, Rachel, and their quirky pals available to subscribers for an additional year was notable not just for the price the sitcom commanded, but for what it indicated about the future of streaming video - specifically, what it could end up costing viewers.