It seems Arrested Development isn’t leaving Netflix after all.
In mid-February, we reported that Arrested Development would be leaving Netflix on Wednesday, March 15. At the time, the world’s best streaming service was set to lose the hugely popular sitcom from its back catalog in territories where it was available. A notice on Arrested Development‘s Netflix landing page – via a screenshot we obtained in February – confirmed that it would no longer be streamable on the platform after Tuesday, March 14.
However, a last-minute deal appears to have been struck between Netflix and numerous other parties to keep Arrested Development on the service.
As first reported by What’s on Netflix (opens in new tab), the show’s departure was initially delayed before its removal date was itself removed. When Netflix users search for Arrested Development on the platform now, the series’ landing page doesn’t contain a ‘Last Day to Watch’ warning, meaning subscribers can continue to stream it to their heart’s content.
TechRadar can confirm that Arrested Development continues to be available to watch on Netflix in the US and UK. We’ve also reached out to Netflix to find out why the series is still streamable on its platform, although the most likely solution is that Netflix renewed its existing licensing agreement to continue offering Arrested Development on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Either way, we’ll update this article if we receive a response.
Developing a streaming service rivalry
Given that it was just days away from losing Arrested Development from its streaming platform, Netflix is sure to be breathing a huge sigh of relief over its retention. Why? Well, because two of its biggest streaming rivals would have benefitted from Arrested Development departing Netflix’s shores.
In the US, Hulu also has a licensing agreement that enables it to show Arrested Development seasons 1 through 3 on its service. Recently, Disney Plus confirmed that it had struck a deal to show the same three seasons on Disney Plus UK. That move came in response to Netflix seemingly being set to lose Arrested Development from its library of content, ensuring British viewers could continue to watch the sitcom.
With Netflix renewing its licensing deal to beam Arrested Development into people’s homes, then, it’ll be fascinating to see which platform fans of the show watch it on. We’re banking on Netflix continuing to be the go-to source for people to watch the show, especially as Netflix is the only place you can stream seasons 4 and 5 – these installments are Netflix Originals, after all.
Even so, there are viewers worldwide who have a Hulu and/or Disney Plus subscription, and not a Netflix one. For those individuals, being able to watch Arrested Development on these competing platforms will be godsend.
We’ve also reached out to Hulu and Disney to see if they’ll be impacted by Netflix renewing its deal to show Arrested Development, and we’ll report back if we receive any responses.
For more streaming coverage, find out what the best Netflix shows, best Disney Plus shows, and best Hulu shows are right now.
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