‘Friends’ is leaving Netflix in January as streaming battle heat up

“Friends”
NBC

• “Friends” is leaving Netflix in January.
• It will likely be included in AT&T’s upcoming streaming
  service.
• It’s one more example of the battle over content as more
  services enter the streaming war.

“Friends” will always be there for you, just not on Netflix as of
January.

The hit 1990s sitcom, which is still one of the most popular
comedies in the US thanks to its availability on Netflix, is
leaving the streaming giant on January 1, according to its page
on Netflix’s website. If you’re a fan, New Year’s Eve will be the
last day you can binge-watch “Friends,” until it eventually lands
on another streaming service. 

“Friends”
is leaving Netflix on January 1.
Netflix

The Warner Bros. Television series will likely be included on
AT&T’s upcoming service, which is expected to launch in 2019.
AT&T bought Time Warner earlier this year, and was swift in
making known its strategy going forward. 

Also included in the service will be HBO, which AT&T now owns
and is pushing to be more like Netflix in
terms of output. HBO has always focused on a small but
acclaimed collection of TV shows that makes up its Sunday night
lineup, but under AT&T, quantity will be important in
addition to quality.

READ MORE: AT&T will jump into the
streaming bloodbath by launching a Netflix competitor next
year

Disney is also launching its own service late
next year called Disney+, and the effects of that are already
being felt on Netflix, as well. Netflix has canceled three of its
five Marvel shows in the last two months, the most recent being “Daredevil” last
week (Disney owns Marvel).

While data showed that interest in the
Marvel shows had been lacking, the cancellations also reflect
the bitter battle over content as more players enter the
streaming war. “Sons of Anarchy” also left
Netflix this month (it can still be watched on Hulu). The FX
series might have been a casualty of the Disney-Fox merger, and
could signal that other Disney- and Fox-owned shows could be in
danger once the merger is complete.

Netflix spent an estimated $8 billion on content this year in an
effort to have 1,000 original shows and
films on the service. If “Friends” is any indication of the
future, it will need all the original content it can get.