For many years of Netflix service, folks in need of television comfort food streamed, and re-streamed, and re-streamed some more a little ’90s sitcom calledFriends. Even as Netflix kept pumping out original content, folks kept returning toFriends, seeking solace in those six buds –David Schwimmer,Matthew Perry,Matt LeBlanc,Jennifer Aniston,Courteney Cox, andLisa Kudrow– hanging out in those NYC apartments no one can afford. Until… poof. In the crossfire of every media company crafting their own separate streaming services,Friendsleft Netflix, on a road to the forthcoming HBO Max. Which means, right now,Friendsstraight up ain’t streaming anywhere. So how can you watch it? Well,Varietyreported on a curious side effect to this streaming detour – the rise in sales ofFriends' digital and physical versions.
And this ain’t small potatoes. Since the announcement thatFriendswould be leaving Netflix, Warner Bros. senior vice president of TV marketingRosemary Marksonsays the digital and physical sales of the 10-season show have “roughly tripled… We were seeing strong sales across both physical and digital, and we’ve seen a particularly strong uptick in digital. If you think of DVDs as the original bingeing mechanism, it’s a way to collect and adds permanence and repeatability to be able to watch the show.” I’m sorry: DVDs are “the original bingeing mechanism”? You know, people may have laughed at my enormous blu-ray collection that takes up half of my living room… butwho’s laughing now?!
In all seriousness, this story does serve as a nice reminder of the ongoing importance and relevance of physical media – it’s so important that we’re recontextualizing how we discuss streaming media to the helpfulness of physical media! Basically: as streaming services continue to evolve and splinter, and our beloved shows and movies hop across platforms, these beautiful discs, with their beautiful resolutions, will always be there, ready to give you entertainment. Or, as Kathi Chandler-Payatt, executive director for the media entertainment practice at The NPD Group puts it, “Although platform-owned titles may or will be held back for exhibition on the distributor’s platform, and audiences may know where to find the content, there’s no guarantee that the content will always be available… The only way to guarantee evergreen access to content is through ownership.” Now if you excuse me, I’m going to watch my 2004 two-disc director’s cut DVD ofSawwith the squishy bloody literal saw cover for the 9000th time.
For more on the future ofFriends, check out intel on areunion specialthat might be coming to HBO Max. Plus: aranking of all 10 seasons.
