“Seinfeld” will be available to stream on Netflix beginning in 2021 thanks to a new five-year distribution deal.
All 180 episodes of the legendary sitcom, which ran from 1989 to 1998, will be available to Netflix users worldwide, the streaming giant announced Monday.
In the U.S., the show currently streams on Hulu, which has held the streaming rights since 2015. Amazon Prime Video distributes the show internationally.
To acquire the streaming rights from Sony Pictures Television, which syndicates “Seinfeld,” Netflix outbid several other competitors, including Hulu, Amazon and the sitcom’s own network, NBC, according to the Los Angeles Times, which first reported the deal.
Created by and starring Jerry Seinfeld as a fictional version of himself, the NBC show went on to influence numerous other comedy series, particularly shows directly drawing from the creators’ own lives and points of view. It has also developed new generations of fans through syndication and streaming.
Netflix recently lost the streaming rights to several other celebrated shows, including “The Office” and “Friends,” which similarly found new generations of viewers on Netflix.
When its deal with Netflix lapses in 2021, “The Office” will stream on NBC Universal’s forthcoming streaming service. Starting next year, “Friends” will stream on HBO Max, a new streaming service from WarnerMedia, which owns Warner Bros. Television, the distribution company behind “Friends.” In the coming years, TV viewers can expect to see more shows move to different streaming platforms as competition for new streaming services heats up.