WarnerMedia group announced Tuesday, 17th September 2019, that it had secured the rights for “The Big Bang Theory” on its upcoming online platform HBO Max,. This latest move is in line with the fight for back catalogues between streaming services. All 279 episodes of the 12-season comedy show will be available when HBO Max launches in early 2020.

 

Classic television series have become a hot commodity in the escalating battle for streaming supremacy.

 

The Wall Street Journal reported that WarnerMedia, a subsidiary of telecom operator AT&T, agreed to pay $500 million over five years for “The Big Bang Theory.”

 

“It’s one of the biggest shows on broadcast television of the last decade, and the fact that we get to bring it to a streaming platform for the first time in the US is a coup for our new offering,” said Robert Greenblatt, WarnerMedia Entertainment chairman.

 

Meanwhile, WarnerMedia agreed to shell out $425 million over five years to acquire “Friends” for the new platform.

 

Netflix said on Monday it had acquired the global rights to popular sitcom “Seinfeld” from 2021, without revealing the value of the transaction.

 

It came after the streaming giant lost the rights to “Friends” and the American version of “The Office”. These are the two most-watched series it has on offer.

 

 

NBCUniversal is paying $500 million over five years for “The Office.”

 

Major players like Netflix and Amazon are keeping an eye on Apple and Disney. The two industry giants will launch their streaming services later this year. Then NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia will follow in 2020.

 

NBCUniversal said that its new platform would be called “Peacock”. Furthermore, it would be available from April 2020. The streaming service will air classic NBC comedies such as “30 Rock,” “Cheers,” and “Will and Grace”.

 

Streaming platforms are spending billions of dollars creating new content. However, they are also expanding their offerings by snapping up back catalogs of popular old shows.

 

Netflix is also soon to lose the rights to the catalogue of “Star Wars,” Pixar and Marvel superhero films, which belong to Disney.