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Friends’ removal from Netflix leads to surge in DVD sales

People can’t do without the beloved New York-set sitcom

Louis Chilton
Friday 21 February 2020 10:32 GMT
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Chandler's funny moments on Friends

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There has been a huge increase in sales of Friends DVDs and digital purchases after the beloved decades-old sitcom was removed from Netflix.

The series was removed from Netflix in the US at the end of 2019. It is intended to be one of the key properties for WarnerMedia’s upcoming streaming service HBO Max, which launches in May, but clearly, Friends fans are unwilling to wait that long.

According to Warner Bros Home Entertainment, sales of both physical and digital copies of “Friends” have “roughly tripled” since the Netflix deal expired.

In the UK, however all 10 seasons of Friends can still be watched on Netflix – and it might stay that way for a long while.

There have been no plans announced to bring HBO Max to the UK, and Sky have struck a deal for the rights to the streaming service’s original properties.

Friends fans have had much to discuss lately, with talk of a reunion special seeming increasingly credible.

Series star David Schwimmer has fanned the flames of the rumours, with many people speculating that it could take the form of an unscripted roundtable, hosted by Ellen Degeneres.

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