Picture: Warner Bros. Television
2025 won’t be starting off with a bang for some as The Big Bang Theory has begun showing departure notices in several countries starting from January 1st, 2025, and more regions throughout the year, like Netflix Australia and the UK, will also see the series leave.
Before we dig in, we should say that the United States is excluded here, as the show has never been available to stream even though Netflix US did nab the streaming rights to prequel spin-off Young Sheldon in late 2023 with a new season arriving in 2024. The series has been exclusive to HBO Max (now just Max) since the service’s launch.
Despite being only available on Netflix in over a dozen countries, The Big Bang Theory still pulls in some impressive and consistent viewership for Netflix. According to the Netflix Engagement Reports, most seasons pulled in roughly 4 to 4.8M views for the streamer in the first half of 2024.
Where is The Big Bang Theory leaving Netflix?
The first batch of regions to see the show leave will be as we cross into the New Year, with all Asian territories currently impacted. A removal notice now states your last day to catch the series is on December 30th, meaning that by the time we enter January 1st, all 12 seasons will have departed. Regions include Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Hong Kong.
Removal date on The Big Bang Theory on Netflix in Asian territories
Why is the show leaving Netflix in these territories? For the same reason that many of these countries will also see or have already seen Friends leave this year. It’s because Max has already started rolling out into these territories, and their thought process is that putting these shows exclusively on their own platform rather than licensing them to Netflix will encourage you to sign up. Will that work in practice? We’ll see.
What about Netflix in the United Kingdom and Australia?
Netflix in the United Kingdom and Australia will keep the show for a little while longer, but the rights are due for renewal very soon.
In the case of Netflix Australia, you’re set to keep the show through until at least June 30th, 2025, midway through the year. For Brits, that will continue through to the end of 2025, with all 12 seasons currently set to expire on December 31st, 2025. That end of 2025 date also applies to South Africa and Germany.
The date for Australia aligns with an H1 2025 rollout for Max there, and plans to launch Max in the UK were delayed till 2026, which makes sense for the UK departure. Likewise, Friends and Rick & Morty could also be on the chopping block for those regions around this time.
Are you disappointed that The Big Bang Theory is leaving Netflix where you live? Let us know in the comments.
