The streaming wars have been getting intense. After Netflix announced it acquired the exclusive rights to stream Seinfeld yesterday, HBO has revealed it prevailed in the bidding war to acquire rights for The Big Bang Theory. A sitcom based the media’s perception of nerdiness, all 279 episodes of the series will be available when HBO Max launches next spring.
While the financial details of the deal have not been disclosed, the series’ syndication rights sold for $600 million in 2010. It’s likely this new deal was had for over a billion, which makes me sick a little. As well as HBO getting the streaming rights, TBS has regained cable rerun rights through WarnerMedia.
Co-creator and producer Chuck Lorre told press, “I am forever grateful to have been part of something as extraordinary as ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ All of us — Bill Prady, (producers) Steven Molaro, Steve Holland and the amazing writing staff, cast and crew — recognize that 12 seasons of laughter is a gift to be cherished. And now we are extremely excited that ‘TBBT‘ will be joining the HBO Max lineup and be available to both existing and future fans of the show. Laughter has legs!”
WarnerMedia Entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt added, “Few shows define a generation and capture mainstream zeitgeist like ‘The Big Bang Theory.’ We’re thrilled that HBO Max will be the exclusive streaming home for this comedy juggernaut when we launch in the spring of 2020. This show has been a hit virtually around the globe, 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 U.S. is a coup for our new offering.”
HBO Max Sets Massive Deal to Exclusively Stream ‘Big Bang Theory‘ [Variety]
