Is ‘The Office’ in Danger of Leaving Netflix Soon?
Netflix subscribers everywhere are sure to be breathing a sigh of relief after the streamer confirmed via Twitter that the beloved NBC comedy The Office will be available through 2021.
The news calls back to the recent Friends drama which resulted in Netflix shelling out $100 million in order to retain streaming rights for a year beyond their initial contract. Like Friends, The Office is currently streaming on Netflix with a contract that will expire in 2021.
Hello it’s me with your regularly scheduled reminder that The Office will be on Netflix until 2021 — at least!
— Netflix US (@netflix) April 24, 2019
So the fear is, will The Office continue with the streaming platform beyond that date? The series has become a full-on phenomenon in the Netflix world as younger generations binge the 2005-2013 comedy for the first time.
Sadly, there is some danger ahead for the serial watchers who can’t help re-watching The Office over and over again because NBCUniversal has plans to launch their own streaming platform in 2020. Since NBCUniversal owns The Office, it would make sense if the service chose to stream the show exclusively for subscribers, but Netflix will likely fight against it.
According to a new Nielsen report (via The Wall Street Journal), The Office accounts for the highest amount of streaming on Netflix overall. It ranks above everything, including two original series which are among the Top 10 most-watched shows. Based on that report, the ranking is as follows: The Office, Friends, Grey’s Anatomy, NCIS, Criminal Minds, Orange Is the New Black and Shameless (tied), Supernatural, Parks and Recreation, and Ozark.
In a statement made by Netflix to WSJ, they said, “Looking at overall watch time skews towards titles with many seasons. Most Netflix originals have three or fewer seasons at most. It’s why we focus on the individual shows or films members watch, as opposed to how much time they spend on one series versus another. And if you look at most watched titles, Netflix originals accounted for 10 out of 10 in the last quarter, or 21 out of the top 25.”
So NBCUniversal has over a year to decide if they’ll pull the comedy from Netflix. Fingers crossed if they do, they make the episodes just as readily available over on their new streaming service!
While the fate of the show’s future with Netflix is unclear beyond 2021, there’s at least the comfort that The Office will be available for your viewing pleasure for nearly two full years.
The Office, Streaming Now, Netflix
