As the streaming wars have heated up, and new content providers have made themselves known, Netflix has started to lose the lineup of network classics that served it so well for so long. Now, as NBCUniversal has finally given a name to its own proprietary service, the company has unveiled a lot of programming from its library that it will be reclaiming.
Netflix is about to lose a ton of shows, and you can thank Peacock, the NBCUniversal streaming service, for losing said content. That is, unless you want to subscribe to another streaming service.
Apparently the departure of The Office was only the beginning of the shows that Peacock was going to take back from Netflix once the current deals expire. The Office's specific deal will end at the beginning of 2021, around the same time Dunder Mifflin’s finest will head over to the NBCUniversal library, but if it is. While its unclear when all the other deals are up, Michael Scott and his pals are about to rub elbows with some hallowed company.
The shows that are coming home to roost in the Peacock nest are a mix of shows that were produced by NBCUniversal for their various networks, as well as some classic sitcoms from other studios that aired on NBC, such as Cheers and Frasier.
Other titles that will no longer be members of Netflix library, as revealed in an NBC Universal announcement, are comedy mainstays like 30 Rock and Everybody Loves Raymond and USA Network favorites like Royal Pains and Psych. If you’re a big fan of the latter, you should know that the second film, Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, is going to be a Peacock exclusive when it debuts.
Hulu and Amazon Prime are going to have some problems on their own ends as well, as Netflix isn’t the only library that’s about to dry up a bit. If you were used to watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Superstore on a weekly basis through Hulu’s subscription service, you might want to think about a Peacock subscription.
The same goes for you Downton Abbey fans who have Amazon Prime, as they will be losing the Crawley family to Peacock as part of a new agreement undoubtedly linked to the fact that Universal Pictures’ label Focus Features is the company behind the new film.
Out of everyone, it seems like Netflix has the most to lose out of this deal. A lot of well-beloved series are on their way out the door, and this is happening in the wake of the big red streamer losing Friends to HBOMax not too long after paying $100 million just to keep it for another year in the US.
With content providers opting to start their own streaming services, Netflix is about to have a lot of competition. And with said providers reclaiming the titles they happily lent out in the early days of the medium, Netflix is having to rely heavily on its own content to make ends meet. Only time will tell if that will be enough. On the bright side, Netflix should have more room for original programming with all of these network series leaving. So, silver lining?
Peacock, on the other hand, spreads its feathers to attract NBC fans starting at some point in April 2020. We'll be sure to keep you updated as more news regarding the service option drops.
