Seinfeld – Picture: Sony TV
As we approach 2021, you may be wondering when Seinfeld will be coming to Netflix. Officially that’s yet to be revealed but thanks to past licensing deals for the title, we can make a guess as to when Seinfeld will be available on Netflix globally and exclusively from next year onwards.
As you may remember, Netflix announced back in September 2019 that it would be picking up the global rights to Seinfeld. It competed against HBO Max, NBCU and Hulu for the rights from 2021.
The series that aired on NBC from 1989 through 1998 has come into high demand thanks to comedies performing incredibly well on streaming services.
Jerry &
Elaine &
George &
Kramer &
NetflixAll 180 episodes of the Emmy-Award winning Seinfeld are coming to Netflix — worldwide! — starting in 2021 pic.twitter.com/tLvcCKH4vl
— Netflix (@netflix) September 16, 2019
To find out exactly when Seinfeld will be on Netflix, we likely have to look at when it was first added to Hulu which could give us an idea on when the contract actually comes up for renewal.
When it was originally announced the Seinfeld will be coming to Hulu in April 2015 but didn’t then touch down on Hulu until June 26th, 2015. The deal at the time was huge with episodes valued at $875k per episode with the total package being $160 million. While we don’t know how much Netflix has paid, given the market it’s likely it eclipses that number. Hulu, according to Deadline, weren’t looking to renew the title given that while it performed OK, it accounted for less than 1% of all viewing.
Given streaming licenses typically renews on specific dates (such as The Office and Friends on January 1st) that’s likely when Netflix will get Seinfeld streaming. That means we’re currently predicting (not confirmed) that seasons 1-8 of Seinfeld will be on Netflix from June 2021.
The only other caveat here is that all regions may not get Seinfeld together. Amazon Prime in the UK, for example, lost Seinfeld in February 2020 and then arrived on All 4 a month later.
So it could be the case we see a gradual rollout throughout the year.
We do, however, know quite a lot of other information on Seinfeld coming to Netflix. So here’s what we do know:
What Netflix regions will stream Seinfeld in 2021?
Netflix has acquired the global streaming rights to the series so Netflix will carry the series in every region.
How many episodes of Seinfeld are coming to Netflix?
All 180 episodes across nine seasons that aired on NBC are coming to Netflix.
What format will Seinfeld be on Netflix?
As per Hulu, Netflix will be getting all episodes in an upscaled format that will display up to 4K (dependent on your Netflix package). As you may know, Netflix has a wide range of 4K titles and most Netflix Originals are now shot in the resolution. Older titles, however, typically are displayed in lower resolutions.
Will Seinfeld on Netflix have the shuffle button?
It’s unclear but unlikely that Netflix will have one of the other nice features Hulu provided for Seinfeld. We’re referring to a special shuffle button that Hulu implemented whereby you can randomly drop into an episode. Netflix has never implemented such a feature for any show and it’s unlikely too for Seinfeld either.
Will Netflix share with Hulu like Community?
Another of Netflix’s recent pickups has been Community (also from Sony Pictures) but in that scenario, it shared the streaming rights with Hulu. That’s not confirmed to be the case but most of the press for the deal suggests Netflix will have it exclusively.
Are you looking forward to seeing Seinfeld on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
