Past eight seasons of show will still be available on Amazon's Prime Instant Video
Tick, tick, tick: Netflix users have only about a week to watch Fox’s “24,” the real-time thriller starring Kiefer Sutherland, before the series is removed from the streaming service in the U.S.
Netflix’s rights to “24″ — 202 episodes in all — expire April 1. That comes a little more than a month before Fox is set to bring Sutherland’s superagent Jack Bauer back to TV with “24: Live Another Day,” an event series set to bow May 5 with a two-hour special.
But Netflix’s loss will be Amazon’s gain, as the online retailer will continue to offer the past seasons of ”24″ to members of its Prime Instant Video service after April 1, letting fans binge-watch before the premiere of the new season on TV.
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It’s not clear whether Amazon will become the exclusive SVOD distributor of the series or whether it will be one of multiple partners. Nor would the companies say whether Amazon will obtain SVOD rights to “24: Live Another Day.” An Amazon rep declined to comment and a rep for 20th Century Fox Television Distribution, which distributes “24,” declined to comment on its deal with Amazon. (Fox Broadcasting referred inquiries to 20th Century Fox Television Distribution.)
Amazon first added “24″ to Prime Instant Video through a Fox deal announced in September 2011.
An Amazon exclusive SVOD rights deal for “24″ would follow other pacts in that vein, as the Internet retailing giant builds a more robust lineup to take on Netflix in the category.
Amazon recently reached a new deal with 20th Century Fox Television for multiple shows and, as part of that, FX series “The Americans” became available exclusively to Prime customers Feb. 6 — before season two of the Cold War-era thriller debuted Feb. 26 on the cabler.
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In addition, under Amazon’s deal with NBCUniversal, season one of NBC’s “Hannibal” became available on Prime Instant Video about a month before that show’s second run returned to the Peacock. And Amazon’s pact with BBC Worldwide North America made season one of supernatural thriller “Orphan Black” exclusively available on the SVOD service ahead of that show’s sophomore debut on BBC America.
A Netflix rep confirmed that “24″ will roll off the streaming service April 1, but declined to provide specifics of its licensing deal with the studio. Netflix will continue to offer DVD rentals of “24″ through its separate DVD-by-mail subscription service.
The past seasons of “24″ also will be available for purchase on electronic sell-through services including Amazon Instant Video and Apple iTunes.
Amazon this month announced that it is raising the price of its Prime free-shipping program for U.S. members, from $79 to $99 per year. But the company has said rising content-licensing costs for Prime Instant Video did not figure into that price hike.
Are you kidding me NETFLIX? You guys REMOVED 24? Wow. I guess Hulu will get our business now!!!! I’m so hurt cause we loved netflix even with poor reception at times. Oh well I guess they don’t value their customers
I feel really upset today. I have been watching just one show from the day I subscribed Netflix and then what I can not find it today on my screen. WTF, I loose the connection right in the middle of 6th season. Now it urges me to move away.
It was gone for me yesterday and I was in the middle of season four. I am really depressed
I was upset I am middle on season two. I wont pay Amazon or Apple Itune cuz no subtitle for deaf. I decide buy dvds than nothing. I was not happy with Netflix.
Amazon Prime does indeed have subtitles . The device you’re watching things on may not, but Amazon itself does.
Horrible service Netflix! You just lost another customer! Pay attention to the shows that subscribers are actually watching and pay the $$ to keep them. Get rid of the trash you use to inflate your library #’s and remove the trash that we don’t watch. HORRIBLE SERVICE
Google Hola unblocker and download switch to the UK server they still have it there.
Good job Netflix you just lost a subscription from me… I was just starting season 6 too.
I just started watching the series yesterday, March 31, and I come one today, April 1, to find out it’s gone. THIS REALLY PISSED ME OFF!!!
Yeah this kinda blows.
I was in the middle of season 5 as well.
This is some bull ish! Pissed.
Not cool!!! I was in the middle of season 5. There are a million things better to remove frmo Netflix than 24.
This really is a nasty April fools joke… The series is not on netflix anymore and this is when I had 5 episodes left to watch in the final season!!!!! Seriously pissed….
April Fools?
DAMMIT!!!
God only knows how many times I have seen 24, sick of seeing it. Get it gone Nexflix.
Apparently, NOBODY has learned any lesson from Breaking Bad. Although, I would never expect FOX to be the first.
Fox THINKS (believe it or not, they still have that ability) that by making people pay extra to play catch-up, they will earn more from the return of 24. That’s false. By allowing more people to play catch-up the way they want to, their ratings would be higher. Who knows? If the ratings are high, there is no reason they couldn’t continue the limited series past these 12 episodes.
Nobody’s making you ‘pay extra’ to catch up here.
Either Fox has entered into what does appear to be an exclusive arrangement with Amazon, or Netflix just doesn’t want to pony up the $$$ to stream it.
Why is this news worthy of being reported in Variety? It this was about a first run program being taken off Netflix or any other network/channel/pay TV service, then that would be relevant news. But reruns of an old show getting removed from a lineup-and not ”dropped from streaming” because the contract that had it available on Netflix for at least 4 years, is expiring? And how is it ”Amazon’s gain” as the show was ALREADY available there? Does Variety feature reports like this on reruns of Honey Boo Boo being taken off ”xx” service too?
Guess I’m just trying to figure out why this had to be framed in such a hysterical ”Netflix dropping 24” instead of a simple straightforward ”the contract to allow it to stream is ironically ending weeks before the new sequel miniseries begins”. And then actually investigateinvestigate and report the reasons for it. Is that too much to ask?
You realize that is a deal made with FOX & Amazon right? Or you just read te headline and went straight to the comments… This is what angers me about some Netflix users complain when something is being pulled because the deal expired (AND if the show was popular enough netflix would try to keep it) the shows been there for a couple years enough time to watch it if you really care, now that is getting pulled you shoot all over netflix… I’ll be glad to see you go…
I understand that a deal was made and that’s fair; I’m just saying if Netflix had the ability to make this announcement earlier than a week before the cut off date that would have been nice. If they would have said this around the Superbowl commercial time (IF they had the information and I’m sure that wasn’t a possibility) it would have given people who don’t have much time to watch TV a better chance to watch more of the show than they could in one week. Also I don’t understand your Internet “anger” about people who don’t affect you… I’m not “going anywhere” bud, just venting since I was so close to finishing the series and now I have a week left lol
Your comment is absolute nonsense. Of course Netflix users won’t be “happy” to go off and pay another service, say Amazon, to continue seeing a series.
Argh. Almost done with season 5… Looks like I’ll be using an “alternative” viewing method after April 1st instead of giving Amazon my money. Thanks a bunch Netflix.