Monday was a rollercoaster ride for “Friends” fans, as it initially appeared that the classic NBC comedy would be removed from Netflix on Jan. 1. The streaming giant later quelled subscribers’ fears, announcing that “Friends” will stick around through 2019.
On Tuesday, Warner Bros. reminded everybody who owns “Friends,” and AT&T chief Randall Stephenson said his upcoming WarnerMedia SVOD product will likely house Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe as well.
“That’s a Warner Bros. property,” the AT&T Chairman and CEO said Tuesday morning of the must-see TV sitcom. “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.”
“That’s content that we would definitely want on our platform, and it’s obviously very important to Netflix as well,” Stephenson tacked on to the “Friends” conversation a few minutes later. “So, it’s kind of a logical situation. Is is necessary that it be exclusive to WarnerMedia on their product? No, it’s not necessary — it’s just important that we have the content.”
Stephenson was the Tuesday morning keynote speaker at the 46th Annual UBS Global Media and Communications Conference. Netflix content boss Ted Sarandos spoke at UBS on Monday, which is where he initially squashed the deepest fears of “Friends” bingers.
Sarandos and the Holiday Armadillo were there for you, because you’re there for them too (-oo-oo):
The Holiday Armadillo has granted your wish: “Friends” will still be there for you in the US throughout 2019 pic.twitter.com/Yd0VqRzk3r
— Netflix (@netflix) December 3, 2018