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Netflix Has Denied That Friends Will Be Removed

Netflix Has Denied That Friends Will Be Removed

Ross, Rachel and the gang are at the centre of a tug or war between two platforms

Rebecca Shepherd

Rebecca Shepherd

Friends is just one of those programmes that you can watch over and over and over again. It doesn't matter how many times. You can give it your full attention or just tidy the house with it on in the background and still find yourself having a little giggle.

We've gone through all of the emotions: annoyance in 'The One Where Joey Speaks French', an overwhelming sense of joy when Rachel gets off that damn plane and laughter every time Phoebe comes on our screen.

So can someone please explain: WHY THE HELL IS NETFLIX GETTING RID OF THIS MASTERPIECE? Well, for a start - they aren't, apparently.

But, Warner Bros. have suggested that every one of the 236 episodes are set to move to a new Warner platform, as the film studio giant plans to rival Netflix with its own streaming service.

Warner Bros. produced and distributed Friends and now it is planning to make it available to audiences exclusively.

Speaking at the Television Critics Association press tour, Warners' creative boss, Kevin Reilly, explained: "For the most part, sharing destination assets like that is not a good idea. Expect that the crown jewels of Warner will ultimately end up on the service."

Friends has been available on Netflix since 2015 with the streaming giant forking out £78 million a year for it.

Chief Creative Officer of Turner Entertainment Kevin Reilly speaks during the TBS/TNT executive session at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour.
PA

The Warner service, which is unnamed at the moment, will initially be made available in the US but is then expected to have an international roll out.

Friends originally aired between 1994 and 2004 - UK viewers had it on Channel 4 (in fact it used to play every episode - in chronological order - each morning as I got ready for school). Then Comedy Central took it on, showing random episodes in no particular order.

Back in December it was reported how the stars of the show - Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry - were to have their earnings boosted by the £78m from Netflix, with each actor receiving two per cent of profits, i.e. a further $1.4m padding to their syndication earnings.

Their road to riches has been heavily reported on over the years, with the actors earning $22,500 per episode when Friends made its debut on NBC back in 1994.

This jumped to between $30,000 and $40,000 per episode for the second series, and continued to rise steadily until they managed to negotiate contracts for seasons nine and ten worth a whopping $1m per episode.

Looks like Friends will be there for them for many years to come (and it's there for you too... we're just unsure on where you can watch it).

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Netflix, Friends