Netflix to lose a major show next year – and fans aren't happy about it

The UK streaming landscape is set to change next year, with the arrival of a new major service and a company merger or two in the pipeline. And while that could be great news for subscribers of certain platforms, others might end up missing out.

Indeed, it seems like Netflix could be one streaming service to suffer – as the loss of one of the biggest, most popular series of all time is imminent.

It is being reported that Friends will be leaving Netflix at the end of 2025 – for all UK viewers, anyway. The show will be removed from the platform on 30 December and it's yet to be revealed which rival could pick it up.

It's thought that HBO Max could be the new home of Friends in the UK, considering the service is launching in the country early next year. It is also where the show is hosted in the US.

That might irk some fans though, who will be faced with yet another monthly subscription fee if they want access to their favourite series. Indeed, according to the BBC, several have already taken to social media to vent their anger.

"So u want me to go insane?? Count ur days Netflix," posted @__joneschloe on X.

"You cannot take friends off Netflix. It is my anti-depressant at night. Every night without fail I watch it," added @scullyinspace.

Ironically, Netflix is one of the interested parties in the acquisition of HBO Max's owner and Friends' original TV studio Warner Bros Discovery., so could end up securing the rights again by default somewhere down the line. The others thought to be in the running are Paramount and Comcast (the owner of Universal and Sky).

We might therefore see HBO Max experience a short tenure as a streamer in the UK before being merged into an existing service. However, that could take a year or two to ratify.

Told you these are interesting times, however.

As for Friends – those genuinely sad that it'll no longer be available on Netflix will no doubt be happy to learn that old episodes will continue to be shown on both Comedy Central and 5 – as they have been for more than a decade.