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B&C, TVWeek

Landmark Deal Sends All 236 Episodes of ‘Friends’ to Online Streamer — Check Out the New Video

Oct 15, 2014  •  Post A Comment

Warner Bros. TV has announced a landmark deal that will put all 10 seasons of the NBC hit “Friends” on the online-streaming service Netflix, B&C reports.

The 236 episodes — 83 hours of “Friends” programming — will be available on the service beginning Jan. 1, 2015.

“Friends” was a mainstay of NBC’s “Must-See TV” prime-time comedy lineup from 1994-2004.

“Friends” has been an off-net syndication staple of many TV stations for years. One station manager whose station currently shows “Friends” told TVWeek, “Over the years it’s done very well for us. I don’t think anyone on the station side contemplated, when we first bought ‘Friends’ in syndication, that we’d be competing for viewers who could also watch it on a VOD service. But that’s the reality today. I’m sure the next time we sit down with Warner Bros. that will be a consideration and we’d have to figure in that perhaps there might be some erosion.”

He also noted that watching “Friends” in late-night is a habit many viewers have in his market, and he doesn’t think that very many of them will stop watching it on his station and tune in to “Friends” on Netflix instead just to avoid watching commercials.

In connection with the deal, Netflix released a new video featuring the Rembrandts performing the “Friends” theme “I’ll Be There for You” at Central Perk Pop Up in New York City.

Here’s the clip:

3 Comments

  1. First I was thinking, “Man, the stations who are paying one-million dollars per episode of “Friends” must be fuming…), then I realized it all makes sense. Now here is the “kicker” (sorry a former boss of mine who was an alcoholic [drank on the job AND drove home] and would always say this as he hiccuped and tried sucking the imaginary piece of beef that he thinks is stuck between his rotting teeth), could the stations who have distribution rights in each market play “Friends” on their station websites?

  2. Of course there is “erosion.” With each year that passes, the audience for this show is getting older. “Friends” will not have the drawing power in the demo, or will it since most of the older part of the demo have kids who now watch the show?”

    I see that “COZI-TV” snagged “The Dick Van Dyke Show” from “METV.” How much each episode cost to air? Does CBS own the show and syndication rights? If NBC were smart, why would they not air as many of their old and popular series that they own on “COZI?” Talk about profits….A dedicated promo producer with two assistants and station relations. Cool stuff.

  3. I am really pissed at the level of greed by some of these companies who still lay off the low end people (the ones who do all of the heavy lifting) while the fat cats at the top reap it all.

    F**k Warner Brothers. If all of those companies were required to pay the same income tax level of those who make far lesser money, how much sooner we could emerge from this so-called “financial crisis” that they all created and we continue to work and pay for.

    I am so sick of this s**t. GREED: Double-Dealing: “Hi, I signed a contract with you and now you are fu**king me” Tax Evading. Eboli-Flying: “Hey, come continue flying with us to a country where there is an EBOLI-breakout…Hey, don’t worry about getting sick on a cruise ship when you can get to your destination both sicker and quicker” by flying on our airline.” Bull-Sh**. You no good, trifling trick ass, lobbying for a trick politician who gonna double-deal you back, rotten, stinking calabassa eatin’, no good trible meetin’, disco hater and instigator motha-fu**a.”

    This is what I say about GREED. Thank-YOU. “Applause! Music Up. Under. And out…”

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