The Office is leaving Netflix in 2020 to join NBC Universal's new streaming service - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

TMC · 06-25-2019, 07:14 PM

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...ervice-1220954

It's official: Netflix is losing its No. 1 show. The Office will exit Netflix at the end of 2020 to join NBC Universal's upcoming streaming service starting in January 2021. “The Office has become a staple of pop culture and is a rare gem whose relevance continues to grow at a time when fans have more entertainment choices than ever before,” said Bonnie Hammer, who heads NBCUniversal Direct to Consumer and digital enterprises. “We can’t wait to welcome the gang from Dunder Mifflin to NBCUniversal’s new streaming service." NBC Universal's streaming service is expected to launch in late 2020. Netflix responded to the announcement, saying in a statement: "We're sad that NBC has decided to take The Office back for its own streaming platform — but members can binge watch the show to their hearts' content ad-free on Netflix until January 2021."

TV Guy · 06-25-2019, 08:04 PM

I like the little shot about “ad-free”.

TMC · 06-26-2019, 08:43 PM

Netflix is losing The Office after transforming it from popular show to pop-culture phenomenon

While The Office was popular when it aired on NBC, earning a total of five Emmys and a whopping 42 Emmy nominations, it wasn't the pop-culture phenomenon it has become as the No. 1 show on Netflix. In fact, 5.7 million watched the series finale in 2013. The Office, says Sonia Rao, "performed relatively well for NBC in its eight years, at one point ranking as the network’s highest-rated scripted series. It appears most would agree that The Office is a good show. Great, even. But if you were to survey the social media of our younger generations, that characterization might rise to the greatest show of all time. A good chunk of millennials and Gen Zers, the oldest of whom would have been in grade school when the sitcom premiered in 2005, quote it on Instagram, on Twitter and even on dating apps, where heterosexual men are often 'just a Jim looking for their Pam.'" Rao points to 17-year-old singer-songwriter Billie Eilish's Netflix-fueled obsession with The Office, which premiered when she was 3 years old. "Netflix, in a way, has given The Office a third life (the second being traditional syndication, which began in 2009)," says Rao. "Instead of watching reruns on live television, generations of cord-cutters and cord-never-havers can binge however many episodes they want and whichever episodes they want with the click of a few buttons. It drones on in the background as they make dinner at night. It seeps into their subconscious."

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Netflix could never create its own Office: "Shows like The Office and movies like the Marvel films, which will likely all one day be on Disney+, have brand recognition, and they're the meat and potatoes that keep subscribers on the service," says Angela Watercutter. "Those movies and TV shows are also indicative of the kind of programming that Netflix really can't do on its own. The Office typically had 20-episode-plus seasons and the full catalog is 188 episodes total. That's a massive haul, especially when compared to Netflix original series, which have seasons that are generally half that size. Even though it's expected to spend some $15 billion on original content in 2019, Netflix still needs to get a lot of bang for those bucks, so it specializes in niche series that are more fast and loose than a traditional network show."
The Office is just as much a Netflix show as The Crown: "The general viewing public is not necessarily acquainted with the reasons why these shows are shifting platforms, and those reasons don’t really matter," says Daniel D'Addario. "If you’ve subscribed to Netflix primarily because it is the thing that delivers you The Office after you get home from work, that show’s disappearance is something of a betrayal, and a loss that might make it worthwhile to switch streaming loyalties."
Netflix reportedly bid $90 million a year to keep The Office, but NBC Universal topped that offer with $100-million-a-year bid
Netflix's Office loss proves having original programs is key for streaming services
The Office fans are already mourning over the show leaving Netflix at the end of 2020

NBC Universal's takeback of The Office could be the beginning of consumer chaos

This week's news that The Office would be leaving Netflix wasn't unexpected. "But it was a decisive sign of two hallmarks of the media business in 2019: Legacy companies are going to have to make some tough economic choices, and soon, consumers will, too," says Steven Zeitchik. "This is the era of content. If it wasn’t already evident from Hollywood executives noting it on every earnings call, it’s apparent every time you open Netflix and are smacked with seemingly endless viewing options. That part is clear. How that content should be sold — and, critically for consumers, where it can be bought — is as convoluted as a Dunder Mifflin staff meeting. Media firms sitting on popular shows must now make a choice. As an executive at one put it in a conversation this week, they must decide between 'monetization' and 'utilization' — whether to license out the content to a distributor for a big check, or hold onto it and sell it to consumers themselves. It’s a gambler’s dilemma. Cash out or double down? Take the money or play the long game? On the one hand, of course, revenue is important, especially to a Wall Street that demands quarterly returns. On the other hand, strategy is important, too (including to Wall Street). As the advertising model gives way to a subscription model, companies will thrive by having a robust subscription service. And you can’t do that if you’ve sold all your best shows to Netflix." ALSO: Steve Carell responds to Rob McElhenney taunts while filming It's Always Sunny at Dunder Mifflin.

TMC · 07-12-2019, 02:40 AM

Netflix will be fine without The Office and Friends as it can now reinvest in even more shows with the money it saves

Netflix has spent years preparing for the day it would lose its most popular shows like The Office, Friends and The CW shows it doesn't own by bolstering its own library with original content, says Josef Adalian. And without The Office and Friends, it'll have more money available for TV shows and movies. "Consider: WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal’s streaming services reportedly paid $425 million and $500 million, respectively, to wrest away streaming rights to Friends and The Office for five years," says Adalian. "Netflix will surely miss the billions of minutes that subscribers spent watching those titles, but some of the pain will be eased by having roughly $200 million more per year — almost $1 billion over five years — available for new content investment....And then there’s the 2011 deal Netflix struck with the CW: The streamer is estimated to have paid well over $1 billion over the course of the agreement for rights to every new drama CW put on the air, including buzzy shows such as Riverdale and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. While Netflix isn’t losing those hits, the old deal expired last month and wasn’t renewed, in part because CW co-owner WarnerMedia wanted to put upcoming CW shows (such as the Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene) on its new HBO Max platform. While it’s impossible to know how much a new pact might have cost, Netflix will likely save hundreds of millions over the next five years by not having access to CW’s creative output." ALSO: Netflix still has international rights to Friends after 2019, which it can use to boost foreign subscriptions.

06-25-2019, 07:14 PM	#1
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 127,074	The Office is leaving Netflix in 2020 to join NBC Universal's new streaming service https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/li...ervice-1220954 It's official: Netflix is losing its No. 1 show. The Office will exit Netflix at the end of 2020 to join NBC Universal's upcoming streaming service starting in January 2021. “The Office has become a staple of pop culture and is a rare gem whose relevance continues to grow at a time when fans have more entertainment choices than ever before,” said Bonnie Hammer, who heads NBCUniversal Direct to Consumer and digital enterprises. “We can’t wait to welcome the gang from Dunder Mifflin to NBCUniversal’s new streaming service." NBC Universal's streaming service is expected to launch in late 2020. Netflix responded to the announcement, saying in a statement: "We're sad that NBC has decided to take The Office back for its own streaming platform — but members can binge watch the show to their hearts' content ad-free on Netflix until January 2021."

06-26-2019, 08:43 PM	#3
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 127,074	Netflix is losing The Office after transforming it from popular show to pop-culture phenomenon While The Office was popular when it aired on NBC, earning a total of five Emmys and a whopping 42 Emmy nominations, it wasn't the pop-culture phenomenon it has become as the No. 1 show on Netflix. In fact, 5.7 million watched the series finale in 2013. The Office, says Sonia Rao, "performed relatively well for NBC in its eight years, at one point ranking as the network’s highest-rated scripted series. It appears most would agree that The Office is a good show. Great, even. But if you were to survey the social media of our younger generations, that characterization might rise to the greatest show of all time. A good chunk of millennials and Gen Zers, the oldest of whom would have been in grade school when the sitcom premiered in 2005, quote it on Instagram, on Twitter and even on dating apps, where heterosexual men are often 'just a Jim looking for their Pam.'" Rao points to 17-year-old singer-songwriter Billie Eilish's Netflix-fueled obsession with The Office, which premiered when she was 3 years old. "Netflix, in a way, has given The Office a third life (the second being traditional syndication, which began in 2009)," says Rao. "Instead of watching reruns on live television, generations of cord-cutters and cord-never-havers can binge however many episodes they want and whichever episodes they want with the click of a few buttons. It drones on in the background as they make dinner at night. It seeps into their subconscious." ALSO: Netflix could never create its own Office: "Shows like The Office and movies like the Marvel films, which will likely all one day be on Disney+, have brand recognition, and they're the meat and potatoes that keep subscribers on the service," says Angela Watercutter. "Those movies and TV shows are also indicative of the kind of programming that Netflix really can't do on its own. The Office typically had 20-episode-plus seasons and the full catalog is 188 episodes total. That's a massive haul, especially when compared to Netflix original series, which have seasons that are generally half that size. Even though it's expected to spend some $15 billion on original content in 2019, Netflix still needs to get a lot of bang for those bucks, so it specializes in niche series that are more fast and loose than a traditional network show." The Office is just as much a Netflix show as The Crown: "The general viewing public is not necessarily acquainted with the reasons why these shows are shifting platforms, and those reasons don’t really matter," says Daniel D'Addario. "If you’ve subscribed to Netflix primarily because it is the thing that delivers you The Office after you get home from work, that show’s disappearance is something of a betrayal, and a loss that might make it worthwhile to switch streaming loyalties." Netflix reportedly bid $90 million a year to keep The Office, but NBC Universal topped that offer with $100-million-a-year bid Netflix's Office loss proves having original programs is key for streaming services The Office fans are already mourning over the show leaving Netflix at the end of 2020 NBC Universal's takeback of The Office could be the beginning of consumer chaos This week's news that The Office would be leaving Netflix wasn't unexpected. "But it was a decisive sign of two hallmarks of the media business in 2019: Legacy companies are going to have to make some tough economic choices, and soon, consumers will, too," says Steven Zeitchik. "This is the era of content. If it wasn’t already evident from Hollywood executives noting it on every earnings call, it’s apparent every time you open Netflix and are smacked with seemingly endless viewing options. That part is clear. How that content should be sold — and, critically for consumers, where it can be bought — is as convoluted as a Dunder Mifflin staff meeting. Media firms sitting on popular shows must now make a choice. As an executive at one put it in a conversation this week, they must decide between 'monetization' and 'utilization' — whether to license out the content to a distributor for a big check, or hold onto it and sell it to consumers themselves. It’s a gambler’s dilemma. Cash out or double down? Take the money or play the long game? On the one hand, of course, revenue is important, especially to a Wall Street that demands quarterly returns. On the other hand, strategy is important, too (including to Wall Street). As the advertising model gives way to a subscription model, companies will thrive by having a robust subscription service. And you can’t do that if you’ve sold all your best shows to Netflix." ALSO: Steve Carell responds to Rob McElhenney taunts while filming It's Always Sunny at Dunder Mifflin.
	Last edited by TMC; 06-29-2019 at 04:49 AM.

06-25-2019, 08:04 PM	#2
TV Guy Member Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Jun 25, 2001 Location: Boston, MA, USA Posts: 3,419	I like the little shot about “ad-free”.

07-12-2019, 02:40 AM	#4
TMC Member Forum Idol Join Date: Jan 09, 2001 Posts: 127,074	Netflix will be fine without The Office and Friends as it can now reinvest in even more shows with the money it saves Netflix has spent years preparing for the day it would lose its most popular shows like The Office, Friends and The CW shows it doesn't own by bolstering its own library with original content, says Josef Adalian. And without The Office and Friends, it'll have more money available for TV shows and movies. "Consider: WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal’s streaming services reportedly paid $425 million and $500 million, respectively, to wrest away streaming rights to Friends and The Office for five years," says Adalian. "Netflix will surely miss the billions of minutes that subscribers spent watching those titles, but some of the pain will be eased by having roughly $200 million more per year — almost $1 billion over five years — available for new content investment....And then there’s the 2011 deal Netflix struck with the CW: The streamer is estimated to have paid well over $1 billion over the course of the agreement for rights to every new drama CW put on the air, including buzzy shows such as Riverdale and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. While Netflix isn’t losing those hits, the old deal expired last month and wasn’t renewed, in part because CW co-owner WarnerMedia wanted to put upcoming CW shows (such as the Riverdale spin-off Katy Keene) on its new HBO Max platform. While it’s impossible to know how much a new pact might have cost, Netflix will likely save hundreds of millions over the next five years by not having access to CW’s creative output." ALSO: Netflix still has international rights to Friends after 2019, which it can use to boost foreign subscriptions.