Update: Netflix has renewed both of these series mentioned below hinting at a technical glitch as the reason for the temporary removal. One Tree Hill is still likely going to be removed though.
Some of The CW’s biggest shows are currently scheduled for removal next month including Reign, Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Although in most cases not all seasons are scheduled to leave, we believe this is a mistake thanks a deal bought on last year.
2016 and 2017 have seen significant shifts with regards to Netflix and its strategy opting for exclusive arrangements as opposed to just paying out for anything and everything. That’s led to the rapid expansion of Netflix Originals and deals such as the one with The CW, a subsidiary of CBS.
Here are the titles currently scheduled for removal:
- Reign (Season 4) – September 3rd
- Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 2) – September 12th
- Jane The Virgin (Season 3) – September 12th
You’ll notice they’re the newest season of each show. Both Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin are scheduled for new seasons in 2017/2018 but Reign concluded with season 4 last year. Obviously, The CW’s catalogue is a lot larger than this but we don’t typically get expiry dates until 30 days before they’re scheduled to be removed.
The multi-year deal was first struck last year and covered in detail in Variety. The CW shows have typically renewed in October but this new deal meant that new seasons were added a week after the show’s finale.
All of the titles listed for removal were stated to be part of the “multi-year” deal and since we’re now only a year into the contract, it seems like it’s way too early for these titles to be leaving.
So why is Netflix saying they’re going to be removed? Most titles from third-parties, like The CW, are constantly renewed on an annual basis and are set like that in the backend of Netflix. It’s likely that these titles will be removed from this list soon.
We should also point out that these titles were excluded from the official list of titles leaving Netflix in September provided by Netflix.
We reached out to Netflix customer support who didn’t have any information to provide about these removal dates.
