Netflix secures Seinfeld

Seinfeld first aired on NBC in 1989

Netflix has secured the global streaming rights to Seinfeld, with all 180 episodes of the classic sitcom to be added to the SVoD giant’s platform in 2021.

Securing Seinfeld is a significant coup for the streamer, which has enjoyed great success with fellow classic comedy Friends but will lose that show to HBO Max, a rival streaming service from WarnerMedia, when it launches later this year.

Reports in the US say Netflix has paid more than US$500m for Seinfeld, eclipsing previous US-only deals secured by NBCUniversal for The Office, which has also been popular on Netflix but will similarly shift to NBCU’s as-yet-unnamed platform, and the Warner deal for Friends.

Seinfeld will continue streaming on US service Hulu until 2021 as part of a previously agreed US$160m five-year deal and is available in some international territories on Amazon Prime Video.

Created by star Jerry Seinfeld alongside Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), the sitcom first appeared on US broadcast network NBC in 1989 and aired until 1998.

The news was first reported by the LA Times.