It can come as a rude surprise to find your favorite show or a movie you were looking forward to watching vanish from Netflix. However, it has become a monthly affair for the streamer to rejig its library. Here’s why it happens.
The License Deal Has Expired
One of the biggest reasons for a movie or show to leave Netflix is the expiry of the licensing deal between the streamer and the production house. While Netflix has been investing billions of dollars to produce original content, whose rights it owns, it also acquires the rights to carry content from other production houses for a fee.
These rights are a part of the so-called licensing deals, which govern where and up to when Netflix can stream a particular piece of content on its service. Some of these licensing deals are exclusive, whereas others allow select rival streamers to carry the same content by entering into a similar licensing arrangement.
Once a licensing deal for a movie or show expires, Netflix is legally bound to remove that content from its service. As these deals can vary from country to country, the streamer has different catalogs in different markets. One show may disappear in the US and potentially still be available in Australia or the UK.
In some cases, Netflix is able to renegotiate a licensing deal before its expiry to retain the content. However, other times, the content producers themselves don’t want to renew the agreement as they want to carry the show on their own streaming service or have entered into an exclusive arrangement with another streamer.
For example, the animated series Voltron: Legendary Defender from DreamWorks Animation had to leave Netflix in December 2024 as the licensing deal expired. It may reappear on Netflix later, but for now, there is no way to stream it except to buy its seasons from Apple TV, Amazon Video, or more.
It’s Not Worth the Licensing Cost
Before a licensing deal between the content producer and Netflix expires, there’s a window for the platform to renew the deal. However, if a renewed deal doesn’t align with Netflix’s financial strategy, it may choose not to renew.
For a streamer like Netflix, one of the primary considerations while renewing a licensing deal or commissioning another season of a show is whether it can keep bringing new subscribers to the service. If the past performance of the movie or show on Netflix hasn’t been good per the streamer’s standards, it can let the deal lapse and invest the saved money into acquiring another movie or show or producing more original content.
The popularity and acquisition cost of the licensed content greatly governs whether Netflix renews the license to keep it.
Copyright, Controversies, and Legal Issues
Besides Netflix’s decision or inability to renew a licensing deal, copyright troubles, controversies, and legal troubles can force the streamer to remove a particular movie or show. It’s not very common but known to happen. The streamer also has to obey government takedown requests in various geographies around the world and remove the mentioned titles. The streamer has removed over a dozen pieces of content because of government requests in multiple territories.
Sometimes, controversies and legal issues can become one of the reasons why Netflix doesn’t decide to renew a licensing deal for a particular show or not renew another season for its own productions.
How Can I Know if My Favorite Show Is Leaving
As there is no guarantee for shows and movies to remain on Netflix, except for the ones owned and produced by the streamer itself, your best bet is to keep an eye out for what’s leaving. This way, you get a chance to stream the content before it disappears or make alternative arrangements to watch it.
Although Netflix doesn’t make it super easy, there are a couple of ways to know if a movie or show is about to leave Netflix.
One of the most visible indicators of whether a movie or show is about to vanish from Netflix can be found on the streamer’s official apps and website. If a title is about to leave the service in the next month, the streamer will show a “Leaving Soon” label on that title’s thumbnail. These labels are similar to the “Recently Added” and “New Season” labels seen on the service. You get the last day to watch information on the detail page of that title. Unfortunately, for this to work, you either have to search the title or happen on it while browsing Netflix.
Netflix also shares a list of titles leaving its library on its official blog, Tudum. The list is typically shared on the last day of the month before a movie or show is about to disappear. It mentions the last day to stream and a basic synopsis of the title. You can also use this list to add titles to your watchlist or get a link to stream immediately. Blogs and websites that typically cover Netflix releases also tend to carry this list every month.
This way, you won’t be surprised when a title leaves Netflix. It’s also important to remember that even if a title disappears from Netflix, there is always a chance of it returning to the service over the coming months or years as Netflix continues to negotiate the licensing deals and keeps an eye on what folks like you are watching.
Now that you know why some movies and shows leave Netflix, here are seven ways to get your money’s worth out of Netflix and eight features that you’re probably not using.
