After seeing Netflix eat away at their TV businesses, legacy media are targeting the streaming rights for classics like 'Seinfeld' and 'The Office.'
The years-old streaming skirmish is set to become a pitched battle — for talent, for money, for your time and your eyes— as Apple, Disney, HBO and NBC prepare to enter the fray with major subscription services.“Friends” away from Netflix and now plans to offer it on its streaming service HBO Max, set to launch in spring 2020.
Why are companies willing to break the bank for streaming rights to shows that have been readily available to viewers for years? They may be repeats to fans who first experienced them during their network and syndication runs, but viewers under age 35, whose viewing of broadcast and cable TV has dropped dramatically over the last five years, are discovering them on Netflix as if they were new.
But millennial-aged Netflix viewers connected with the show’s depiction of workplace life — and also likely recognized its stars Steve Carell and John Krasinski through their feature film work. They gravitated to “The Office” and stuck with it. The program’s popularity is driven by a relatively narrow slice of devoted subscribers who watch most of its 201 episodes, people involved in the program said.Using library content to build a new TV platform isn’t new.
But the power of “The Office” or “Friends” to be a draw for an entirely new streaming service is untested. While WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal will have a substantial array of programs to launch their services, Netflix is still synonymous with the streaming experience. Disney — which will pull back all of its movies from Netflix by the end of the year for its own streaming service — is considered better positioned as its brand name is so recognizable to consumers.
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