NBC Pulling The Office From Netflix Next Year

Despite some reassurance from Netflix as of late, NBC will be pulling the very popular The Office from the streaming giant next year. According to various trade reports, NBC is moving the Greg Daniels-created property to NBCUniversal’s proprietary streaming service beginning in 2021.

“‘The Office’ has become a staple of pop-culture and is a rare gem whose relevance continues to grow at a time when fans have more entertainment choices than ever before,” said Bonnie Hammer, chairman of NBCUniversal direct-to-consumer and digital enterprises. “We can’t wait to welcome the gang from Dunder Mifflin to NBCUniversal’s new streaming service.”

In a separate report from The Hollywood Reporter, it’s reported all nine seasons of the fan-favorite show will be made available exclusively in NBCUniversal’s new yet-to-be-named streaming service. Reports from earlier this year suggest the new platform will be available for around $12. An ad-supported version of the service will reportedly be available to pay-TV subscribers at no additional charge.

Netflix was quick to offer a statement through its social media platforms, reminding fans that a deal is still in place with NBC through the end of 2020.

“We’re sad that NBC has decided to take The Office back for its own streaming platform — but members can binge watch the show to their hearts’ content ad-free on Netflix until January 2021,” the statement read.

Earlier this Spring — just about two months ago, as a matter of fact — reports began circulating that suggested NBCUniversal had begun internal conversations on what to do with the property.

“NBCUniversal, which owns the show, licensed reruns of the comedy to the streaming-video giant years ago,” the report noted at the time. “Now, NBCUniversal is launching its own streaming service, and has begun internal discussions about removing The Office from Netflix when the contract expires in 2021, according to people familiar with the situation.”

In the ever-expanding world of direct-to-consumer streaming, NBC’s move makes an incredible amount of sense, especially when compared to other deals happen around Hollywood. After The Walt Disney Company announced they were building a direct-to-consumer product of its own, the House of Mouse decided to end its relationship with Netflix as well in hopes of keeping all of their content on the company-owned service.

All nine seasons of The Office are now streaming on Netflix.