Ted Sarandos on Netflix losing “Friends” and “The Office”

Netflix subscribers have just until January 2020 to binge on the NBC show “Friends.” On the other hand, another sitcom from NBC is scheduled to leave the streaming giant in 2021. “The Office” will no longer be available that year on the platform after Netflix lost streaming rights to the two NBC classics. While the shows are a must-watch for millions of the streamer’s subscribers, the company’s chief isn’t breaking a sweat about losing either.

Last year’s announcement from Netflix about losing Friends was not greeted well by fans. Disappointed subscribers took to social media to air their grievances over the bad news. As fans clamored to keep the sitcom in the streaming platform, Netflix eventually gave in on the pressure. The company went on to broker a brief new deal with Warner Media and AT&T. The deal extended the distribution for the hit comedy but only for another year.

With Netflix eventually bidding farewell to The Office as well, it is expected that a ton of users won’t be continuing their subscription. However, chief content officer Ted Sarandos isn’t worried at all. Speaking at a recent Variety event Sarandos said:

“Library watching is part of the experience on Netflix, for sure, but the primary driver of why people join [and] why they retain is about having their favorite show on Netflix, which is increasingly and almost exclusively original programming. we’re also about change and keeping things fresh and we haven’t had Seinfeld. We’re super excited about having that.”

Ben Hornery
Ben Horneryhttps://bestinau.com.au
Ben is is a senior journalist and sport columnist for Best in Australia. He previously worked for the BC and other radio stations.
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