While Jon Snow and company face The Great War on Game of Thrones, another television battle is raging. As it now stands, Netflix is king of streaming. However, competition for that title is mounting. Disney+ is coming and so is NBCUniversal’s streaming service. That is where The Office and other series' Netflix fate comes into play.
Netflix and subscribers may not want to lose them, but the streamer may have to part with The Office and Friends. That’s right. The days of streaming your favorite episodes of the NBC series may be ending. NBCUniversal is prepping the launch of its streaming service, which means a sad directive for Netflix viewers.
It has “begun internal discussions” to have The Office removed from Netflix, according to The Wall Street Journal. Those talks will reportedly begin after Netflix’s deal for the show ends.
The Office is reportedly Netflix’s most-watched show with Friends in second. Both shows are reportedly the top series that subscribers spend the most time watching on the streamer. That makes both shows hot properties Netflix is going to want to hold onto.
Prepare to enjoy Pam, Jim, and the rest of Dunder Mifflin’s characters while you can. Do not worry though. You have plenty of time left to savor your favorite moments before you may have to say goodbye. Netflix’s current contract to stream the show expires roughly two years from now in 2021.
Subscribers’ time with Friends is less optimistic. Last year, Netflix reportedly paid a staggering $100 million to keep the show on the platform through 2019. Yes, the end of this year. NBCUniversal is reportedly planning to launch its streaming service in 2020, per CNN. That puts it premiering just as Netflix’s licensing deal with Friends is ending.
The good news for fans of The Office and Friends is that the series will still be available to stream. The bad news is that they will have to pay for yet another streaming service to do so. Netflix is facing an ever-mounting wealth of competition. Once the exclusive buffet for all things streaming, Netflix is dealing with the potential loss of each ingredient at a time.
Disney+ is already bringing the heat as it brings the content it once licensed to Netflix to its service. Then there is the Marvel television show issue. NBCUniversal starting its own streaming service only further complicates things.
The Office and Friends are not the only NBC series that Netflix currently has in its library. Crime series The Blacklist, The Mysteries of Laura, Taken, and Aquarius are presently available. The comedies Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, and Good Girls, along with the dramas Parenthood and The Night Shift also stream.
Enjoy them while you can! Depending on what the future holds, you may not be able to stream your NBC favorites on Netflix forever.
