The Wall Street Journal reports of Netflix's potential new non-exclusive deal for Friends streaming rights: "The multiyear pact is in the process of being finalized," but "unlike the usual Netflix content deals, streaming exclusivity for Friends isn’t guaranteed for the length of the deal....Netflix will continue to be the exclusive streaming home of Friends for 2019. After that, WarnerMedia has an option to put the show on its own streaming platforms either exclusively or in a shared window." The lack of streaming exclusivity will likely mean that Netflix will pay less for rights to Friends. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson confirmed a non-exclusive deal is in the works. “That’s a Warner Bros. property,” the AT&T Chairman and CEO said this morning. “Well, (Netflix) re-signed it on a non-exclusive basis. What does that mean? That means Friends could go on to our platform as well.” UPDATE: Netflix will pay "around $100 million" to continue streaming Friends in 2019, a big jump from the $30 million a year it was paying.
TOPICS: Friends, HBO Max, Netflix, Randall Stephenson, AT&T, Warner Bros. TV