- "The Office" is leaving Netflix in 2021 for NBCUniversal's upcoming streaming platform.
- It raises the question of what other popular shows on Netflix could be in danger of losing, as more companies enter the streaming war.
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"The Office," one of Netflix's most popular TV shows, is leaving the streaming service.
Netflix and NBCUniversal announced Tuesday that the hit comedy will be available through 2020, but NBC will pull the show in 2021 for its upcoming, ad-supported streaming service, to launch in early 2020. The news didn't come out of left field. The Wall Street Journal reported in April that NBCUniversal had been having internal discussions about removing "The Office" to fuel its own platform.
But as more traditional media companies enter the streaming war to compete against Netflix, it raises the question of what else could be at risk of leaving the streaming giant's catalog.
The internet panicked last year when a note on the Netflix "Friends" page said that the show would be leaving in 2019. Netflix quickly corrected it, and the show will remain on the service through 2019 (after Netflix paid up to $100 million for the rights).
But the Warner Bros. show is in jeopardy after that, as WarnerMedia is also planning to launch its own Netflix competitor later this year.
"The Office" and "Friends" were Netflix's most popular shows in 2018 in the US, according to analytics company Jumpshot. The chart below shows the top 10, and they could all be in danger of leaving in the future as they are owned by other media companies that have (or will launch) their own streaming services that compete with Netflix.
Below are 10 of the most popular shows on Netflix, where they originated, and what their futures may hold: