Seinfeld – Picture: Sony TV
With two major sitcoms scheduled to leave Netflix over the next two years, it’s been reported that Netflix could be in the bidding war for Seinfeld which is scheduled to leave Hulu in 2021.
The report comes from Deadline which talks about how HBO Max is currently looking into getting Two and a Half-Men and The Big Bang Theory streaming to bolster its launch lineup next year.
Both those shows come from Chuck Lorre and both were a massive success on their original home of CBS. Netflix carries The Big Bang Theory exclusively in most international regions but isn’t expected to be in the mix for streaming it in the United States now that its TV run has concluded.
The deal HBO Max is prepping for those shows comes to around $1 billion.
Also in the article, it touches on Seinfeld and how Netflix, losing two of its biggest sitcoms soon could be in the mix to steal the streaming rights away from Hulu. Friends is leaving Netflix in January 2020 while The Office from NBC is scheduled to leave in January 2021.
Netflix does have an existing relationship with Jerry Seinfeld and therefore would make a logical home for the sitcom. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee recently got its latest season dropped onto Netflix and a couple of stand-up specials scheduled for the future.
Seinfeld first released on Hulu back in 2015 in a multi-year deal.
The article states that two streamers are eying up the series saying:
“I hear Sony TV has pitched the show to multiple streamers, including HBO Max and Netflix. I hear there is no asking price that the distribution company is floating but they likely are targeting a deal of a size similar to that for fellow 1990s Must See TV tentpole Friends in the red-hot marketplace. That would be a major premium over the reported $130+ million Seinfeld‘s current Hulu deal pays.”
Ellie went onto say Seinfeld is a logical fit for HBO Max but added they may be spending too much of their budget on the aforementioned shows. Deadline also stated that Hulu were unlikely going to renew given its new focus on shows from Fox, FX, ABC and others that Disney has control over.
Do you think Netflix should pick up an older show like Hulu to replace Friends and The Office or should it stick with producing its own titles? Let us know in the comments.
