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Netflix shuts down reports Friends is leaving the service in UK

Streamer has insisted the beloved sitcom would remain on its catalogue

Clémence Michallon
New York
Wednesday 13 February 2019 21:48 GMT
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Friends: Monica wears turkey on her head in 'The One With All the Thanksgivings'

Netflix has responded to reports that Friends is leaving its catalogue – assuring fans that the beloved sitcom is here to stay.

The streaming service shared a message from its Twitter account for the UK and Ireland, consisting of an image of Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) holding up seven fingers.

Along with the picture, Netflix wrote: “How many times we need to tell you Friends isn’t leaving.”

The tweet appears to be a response to reports that emerged in December 2018, and again on Wednesday, saying that Friends would possibly be removed from Netflix in 2019.

The firm spent a reported $100m (£77.7m) to keep the series on its platform for another year.

In the US, Netflix assuaged fans’ fears by tweeting at the time: “The Holiday Armadillo has granted your wish: Friends will still be there for you in the US throughout 2019” – a reference, of course, to the character invented by Ross Geller during a season seven episode, in which he tries to teach his young son Ben about Hanukkah.

Netflix UK and Ireland previously shared a message reading: ”The One Where Friends is Going Nowhere, Don’t Worry” after someone asked whether the sitcom would be removed from the service.

Netflix’s latest tweet comes as a network executive has indicated it would not be a good idea for WarnerMedia to keep sharing “crown jewels” such as Friends when it launches its own streaming platform soon.

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“Sharing destination assets like that, it’s not a good model to share,” Kevin Reilly, the head of content for the forthcoming service, said according to The Hollywood Reporter. “They should be exclusive to the service.”

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