Why Netflix is pulling all your favourite shows
It's been a tough month for Netflix fans, with news emerging that much-loved shows including Friends and the American version of The Office are being taken off the platform.
It was revealed on July 9 that Netflix US will be losing Friends when its rights holder WarnerMedia launches its streaming service HBO Max next year.
The huge loss came only a few weeks after the company also announced that NBCUniversal would be gaining the rights to The Office.
But according to Nielsen, these programmes were Netflix's most-watched in 2018, in terms of minutes spent viewing.
So why did Netflix make the decision to pull the plug?
To leave more money for original content
Shows such as Friends and The Office are expensive – Netflix paid $100 million to stream Friends and was willing to splash up to $90 million to keep the the rights for The Office. Therefore, it'll save a whole lot of money on licensing fees once they're gone.
In a statement released last month, Netflix said: "Much of our domestic, and eventually global, Disney catalogue, as well as Friends, The Office, and some other licensed content will wind down over the coming years, freeing up budget for more original content."
By extension, this means Netflix can focus on exclusive content only available on its platform – helping it to compete against other services. With Disney+ and others incoming, this is vital.
The buzz it creates
When you think about it, the headlines surrounding Netflix's cull have actually given the service a fair bit of publicity.
And according to Vanity Fair, several experts reckon the furore might eventually amount to "a lot of noise".
Rich Greenfield – a media analyst for research firm BTIG – told the publication: "Netflix is the new cure for boredom at home – if The Office isn't available you'll watch something else."