‘Seinfeld’ coming to Netflix

Netflix might be losing Friends to HBO Max, but it looks like it's getting Seinfeld in 2021. Variety reports:

Variety has confirmed that the streaming giant has landed the global streaming rights to all 180 episodes the genre-defining sitcom. The deal was struck with Sony Pictures Television, which controls the distribution rights to the NBC series. It is a five-year deal which is set to begin in 2021.

“’Seinfeld’ is a one-of-a-kind, iconic, culture-defining show,” said Mike Hopkins, chairman of Sony Pictures Television. “Now, 30 years after its premiere, ‘Seinfeld’ remains center stage. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Netflix to bring this beloved series to current fans and new audiences around the globe.”

Hulu currently controls the domestic streaming rights to “Seinfeld,” with that deal set to expire in 2021. Amazon distributes the series internationally. When the Hulu deal was first reported in 2015, it was estimated the streamer was paying roughly $875,000 per episode for the series, or $160 million annually.

Stay tuned until 2021 for your Netflix watching to be filled with Festivus, shrinkage, T-Bone, yada yada yada... and in the meantime, as Variety mentioned, it's on Hulu (and you can probably just flip on cable TV -- remember that? -- or even with an antenna, and watch re-runs on like any given day.)