With ten years, ten seasons, and six friends in New York, Friends made a name for itself as one of the most popular sitcoms on television. Then, the television show became one of the most popular sitcoms on Netflix. Now, fans will have to use a different streaming service to watch their favorite series. Here’s how to watch Friends after Warnermedia removes it from Netflix.

The sitcom, ‘Friends’ is officially leaving Netflix

Friends is one of the most popular sitcoms in history and one of the most popular shows on Netflix. Now, it’s finally time for a break. After years of having Friends available for streaming on Netflix, Warnermedia announced they would pull the sitcom from the popular streaming service.

According to Showbiz Cheat Sheet, “prior to the Friends Netflix deal, the series was only available on select networks (as reruns), for purchase on iTunes, or via DVD at Walmart, Target, and other retailers.” Now, fans might have to go back to their Blu-Ray or DVD copies to binge their favorite sitcom. After 2019, Friends will officially leave Netflix to move to another streaming service, entitled HBO Max.

When is ‘Friends’ leaving Netflix?

It’s officially “the one where Warnermedia takes Friends back from Netflix.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, the sitcom will be moving to WarnerMedia’s streaming service, now officially called HBO Max. This new streaming platform, premiering in Spring 2020, will debut with about 10,000 hours of premium content.

“HBO Max will bring together the diverse riches of WarnerMedia to create programming and user experiences not seen before in a streaming platform. HBO’s world-class programming leads the way, the quality of which will be the guiding principle for our new array of Max Originals, our exciting acquisitions, and the very best of the Warner Bros. libraries, starting with the phenomenon that is Friends,” Robert Greenblatt, chairman, WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer, said in a statement.

According to The New York Times, “Netflix paid up to $100 million to keep Friends this year — much more than the $30 million it was previously paying per year for the series rights.”

Friends is not the only series leaving Netflix. Recently, NBCUniversal announced they would be pulling The Office from the streaming service in 2021. NBCUniversal will also move their series to their own streaming platform. With Disney creating its own streaming service, Disney Plus, movies owned by the Walt Disney Company will also be removed within the upcoming year. That includes Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar films currently available for streaming on Netflix.

How to watch ‘Friends’ once it leaves Netflix

For the remainder of 2019, Netflix subscribers can watch seasons 1-10 of Friends, along with shows like The Office and movies like Star Wars: The Last Jedi. After Friends leaves Netflix in 2020, fans can watch the series on Warner Brothers’ streaming service. Some Netflix subscribers are not happy about this switch. One Twitter user stated, “The Office and Friends both leaving Netflix. It’s like my best friends are changing schools.”

Friends is currently available for streaming on Netflix. HBO Max premieres in Spring 2020.

Source: Read Full Article