What’s the deal with Seinfeld disappearing from streaming for a while? TVMoJoe has a theory
Photo: NBC. This story first ran in Buffering, Vulture’s newsletter about the streaming industry. Head to vulture.com/buffering and subscribe today!As Vulture reported earlier today, Seinfeld — as long expected — is leaving Hulu this month. The legendary show about nothing will vanish from the Disney-owned streamer on June 23, nearly two years after Netflix paid handsomely to steal away global streaming rights.
Netflix isn’t talking just yet, so it’s hard to nail down the precise rationale for the delay. In theory, it’s possible the streamer’s deal with distributor Sony Pictures Television, announced in September 2019, doesn’t allow it to take possession of the series for a bit. What seems more likely, however, is that execs have purposely decided to put a bit of space between Seinfeld’s swan song on Hulu and its Netflix debut. If so, there are definite upsides to a pause.
For one, waiting awhile gives Netflix time to build an effective marketing campaign around the arrival of Seinfeld as a global streaming exclusive. When The Office left Netflix at the end of December, it immediately moved over to Peacock, which was in desperate need of a big, splashy title to drive sign-ups .
What’s more, scarcity can often breed demand. It sure seems logical Netflix might want to make folks miss Jerry and the gang just a smidge before bringing it back. But even if Netflix’s thought process doesn’t involve any of my amateur psychological analysis, it could well be that Netflix thinks it can make a bigger splash around Seinfeld in the fall, particularly given how the world is opening back up again and folks are doing stuff other than watching TV.
To be clear, I have no idea what exactly went into Netflix’s decision to delay . But whatever the reason, because of its size and strength, the streamer clearly can afford to wait until it is most beneficial to its programming needs. This is, after all, not just another library-series add for Netflix. Stephen Battaglio of the Los Angeles Times, who broke the story of Seinfeld’s defection two years ago, reported at the time Netflix was shelling out more than a half-billion for rights to the show.
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