In case you have somehow missed it, Netflix is losing two incredibly high-profile pieces of content. The Office and Friends are both departing the streaming giant before long, and Netflix has confirmed why it is losing the beloved ‘90s sitcom. All of which leads us to why the streamer is now saying it is a good thing both shows will be leaving.
In an impressive bit of seeing the bright side, Netflix has let the light in and is seizing on the highlight to the news. In short, more money is now free to float elsewhere! On losing Friends and The Office, Netflix said (via CNBC):
Much of our domestic, and eventually global, Disney catalog, as well as Friends, The Office, and some other licensed content will wind down over the coming years, freeing up budget for more original content.
That is one way to look at it! Based on what Netflix is saying, it is planning to move its budget for these shows into its original programming. Thanks to the plans of other media giants, the streamer has been freed from a lot of the money it spends on licensed content. Keeping just Friends for another year reportedly cost Netflix an insane amount of money.
Imagine how many Netflix originals could have been made for the same amount? It is time for the streamer to shifts gears. Once the go-to spot for an assortment of content from other networks, the streaming platter will be streamlined a bit more, meaning that an increase in original programming will be the edge that Netflix needs in the streaming wars ahead.
Those at Netflix had to know this day would come, eventually. The day where Amazon Prime Video and Hulu were not its main competitors. Disney entering the fray has arguably been the biggest game-changer. Albeit, Warner Bros. upcoming streaming service, HBO Max, is also a significant contender.
HBO Max has Friends and a Gossip Girl reboot on the way. Meanwhile, The Office is heading to NBCUniversal’s upcoming service, which reportedly paid a lot to get it. Two NBC-aired series, two different destinations.
Questions undoubtedly remain as to how The Office leaving Netflix will affect subscriber numbers, because the subscriber situation has been a source of concern. Not even a week ago, Netflix reported it lost 126,000 U.S. accounts, marking the first time it has lost subscribers in the U.S. in eight years. That comes after an earlier report that Netflix might lose millions of customers to Disney+.
Netflix’s boss has said that he believes subscribers will add new streamers to its plate without cancelling the streaming giant. The company has offered a cost-effective way to ensure that in India, having launched its first mobile-only streaming plan, and it is affordable. Good news for those in the country feeling the ever-increasing pain in their pocketbook while trying to remain entertained.
In other promising news for Netflix, it has that recent poll of users’ favorite shows. Counting “movies,” you have to get all the way down to #9 before a non-Netflix original pops into the poll. That seems to bode well for what users like to watch: Netflix originals!
Netflix has a lot of new programming (including original content) to keep you entertained. There are also an abundance of summer premieres to consider watching as well.
