Typically, streaming services purchase the rights to a TV show for a specific length of time. However, there’s more to this than a simple contractual expiry.
Grey’s Anatomy is an ABC show. You might not know this, but ABC is owned by Disney. In recent years, Disney was happy to make money by selling the streaming rights to Netflix, but with the launch of Disney+, things have changed. Now, Disney seems focused on making its platform the only way to watch Grey’s Anatomy from start to finish, which is currently the only way to watch it in the UK and probably the way it will go in the US when the current contract with Netflix runs out.
That’s great news for investors but perhaps a little annoying for anyone looking to cut down on their ever-increasing number of streaming subscriptions.