Friends is leaving Netflix next year

[MA]

This is trending on Bing right now, but the show is leaving Netflix on January 1 after four years.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/fri...r5Dc?ocid=iehp

[RetroGuy2000]

I had started a binge marathon of the full series a few weeks back, and noticed last night that Netflix put a notice on the stream that said the show would be discontinued on January 1st. I think I'll be through the series before then.

[MA]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

I had started a binge marathon of the full series a few weeks back, and noticed last night that Netflix put a notice on the stream that said the show would be discontinued on January 1st. I think I'll be through the series before then.

I wasn't expecting Friends to leave this early though.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by MikaelaArsenault

I wasn't expecting Friends to leave this early though.

No, I wasn't, either.



I just finished Season 9 last night, so it'll work out for me. Good luck to you, though!

[opus]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

No, I wasn't, either.



I just finished Season 9 last night, so it'll work out for me. Good luck to you, though!

You have time. It's not leaving Jan.1

https://ew.com/tv/2018/12/03/friends-leaving-netflix/

(By the way, I heard Netflix has the syndicated versions and not the full length DVD cuts. True?)

[TMC]

Friends is staying on Netflix, at least for now

Fans of Friends reruns on Netflix series went into a tizzy after a message on Netflix's Friends page stated that the series was "Available Until 01/01/2019," which led to a petition to save Friends on Netflix. Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos told The Hollywood Reporter today the "departure is a rumor." The message has since been deleted from the Netflix Friends page. The message seemed believable because WarnerMedia is planning to launch its own streaming service, and it is believed that Friends will be major part of its package. But Entertainment Weekly and Variety are reporting that there may be talks between Netflix and Warner Bros. TV for the streaming service to retain the streaming rights. Friends, which debuted on Netflix on Jan. 1, 2019, has been one of its most popular shows. UPDATE: Netflix tweets Friends will be available "throughout 2019."

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by opus

You have time. It's not leaving Jan.1

https://ew.com/tv/2018/12/03/friends-leaving-netflix/

Huh. Thanks for the info, Opus, and TMC. Wonder why they even put that message on the stream itself, if they hadn't made a decision yet. That makes absolutely no sense. But I'm glad they've come to an agreement.

(By the way, I heard Netflix has the syndicated versions and not the full length DVD cuts. True?)

Three years ago, Netflix was airing the shorter, syndicated versions. I believe that has changed, because when I started my marathon, in the first episode, they aired the complete "credit card cutting sequence" in the first episode, including Monica's "library card" and Chandler's "thousand retailers" line. These appear to be the original broadcast versions, NOT the short, syndicated versions, or the longer DVD versions.

[MA]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

No, I wasn't, either.



I just finished Season 9 last night, so it'll work out for me. Good luck to you, though!

Thank you. My bad for thinking it was leaving Jan. 1 though.

[Willbo]

I have been watching Friends on Netflix also. I do believe they are showing the cut versions as sometimes in the ending credits someone will be listed but not shown in that episode. Also an early episode where Monica goes and gets her shoes out of the living room (or maybe straightens them, I can't remember) was not shown either. It's one of her first OCD moments. Really enjoying watching the reruns on Netflix.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by MikaelaArsenault

Thank you. My bad for thinking it was leaving Jan. 1 though.

You can't be blamed, Mikaela. Netflix even put an on-screen warning for users, stating Friends would be leaving the streaming service on January 1st. They changed their minds after that announcement.


Definitely not your bad.

[TMC]

Friends reruns will stream on Netflix and also likely on WarnerMedia's new streaming service

The Wall Street Journal reports of Netflix's potential new non-exclusive deal for Friends streaming rights: "The multiyear pact is in the process of being finalized," but "unlike the usual Netflix content deals, streaming exclusivity for Friends isn’t guaranteed for the length of the deal....Netflix will continue to be the exclusive streaming home of Friends for 2019. After that, WarnerMedia has an option to put the show on its own streaming platforms either exclusively or in a shared window." The lack of streaming exclusivity will likely mean that Netflix will pay less for rights to Friends. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson confirmed a non-exclusive deal is in the works. “That’s a Warner Bros. property,” the AT&T Chairman and CEO said this morning. “Well, (Netflix) re-signed it on a non-exclusive basis. What does that mean? That means Friends could go on to our platform as well.” UPDATE: Netflix will pay "around $100 million" to continue streaming Friends in 2019, a big jump from the $30 million a year it was paying.

Netflix's new Friends deal is actually worth between $70 million to $80 million for 2019 streaming rights

The Hollywood Reporter says The New York Times report that the deal is worth "around $100 million" was exaggerated. Even by shelling out $70 million to $80 million for Friends streaming rights for 2019, Netflix is paying more than double what it has been paying for the past four years -- $30 million a year.

Hulu and Apple were reportedly also interested in acquiring Friends -- Netflix deal could be a preview of The Office streaming rights

Recode reports Hulu and Apple helped push the push the value of Friends reruns to the "around" $100-million mark that Netflix was willing to pay (or $70 million to $80 milllion, according to The Hollywood Reporter). Recode's Peter Kafka explains AT&T's new deal that will give Netflix the rights to Friends for 2019, but gives WarnerMedia's upcoming streaming service the chance to stream the show afterwards. "In part that’s because there’s some chicken-and-egg going on here," says Kafka. "Friends is a valuable asset, so WarnerMedia would naturally want that asset in its own service instead of someone else’s... unless that WarnerMedia service ends up being a flop, in which case stashing Friends there means it is a wasted asset. So here’s the hedge WarnerMedia has ended up with: After 2019, WarnerMedia has the ability to pull Friends from Netflix altogether, and keep the show as an exclusive. Or it can let Netflix stream the show as well, at a discount of about 25 percent. Which means there’s a scenario where WarnerMedia can get another $75 million a year from Netflix and still use the show as a key part of its own streaming service." Kafka says this could be a preview of what happens to The Office rerun rights when they expire on Netflix because Comcast is considering its own streaming service.

Netflix proves it's the Walmart of media with its hefty Friends deal

“I compared Netflix one time to Walmart, not derogatorily,” AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said Tuesday at the UBS media conference. “It was taken derogatorily. But when I’m shopping and I say I need something XYZ, I go to Walmart. Well, if you’re looking for video content regardless of what it is, people will go to Netflix because it’s just a warehouse, and it’s an impressive warehouse of content.” As Michael Schneider points out, "the perception that Netflix offers almost everything is what keeps subscribers willing to keep paying $10.99 a month, even if in actuality there’s plenty of TV that can’t be found (and never will be) on the service. Netflix has become shorthand for' 'all things TV' in less than a decade, thanks to little competition and a willingness by Hollywood studios to license popular off-net shows like Friends, Full House, and The Office for a handsome fee... And the amazing thing is, even as they finally wake up and scramble to create their own services to combat Netflix’s domination, the traditional Hollywood studios still can’t resist that sweet, sweet cash." ALSO: WarnerMedia may not want to keep Friends streaming rights all to itself because it would have to pay expensive streaming fees.