After losing out on both Friends and The Office, Netflix isn’t playing around anymore. According to Deadline, the streamer has shelled out to exclusively land all 180 episodes of Seinfeld in 2021 when the show’s current deal with Hulu ends. Though no official numbers have come out, Sony Television was reportedly looking for an amount similar to nearly $500 million HBO Max paid for Friends.
Speaking of, HBO Max was likely where the series was expected to land by those behind the scenes. However, due to the aforementioned Friends deal and an expected $1 billion+ deal on the horizon for Two and a Half Men and The Bang Theory, the fledging streamer tapped out on this one.
Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix, released a statement regarding his company’s acquisition. “Seinfeld is the television comedy that all television comedy is measured against. It is as fresh and funny as ever and will be available to the world in 4K for the first time. We can’t wait to welcome Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer to their new global home on Netflix.”
And while we wait for 2021, Netflix has got us covered with some pretty enticing new original content. Later this year we’ll see the streamer’s first talent search show in Rhythm + Flow. And they recently struck a deal with Stranger Things‘ Millie Bobby Brown to produce a film with her and her sister.
