Gone are the days when Netflix was the only viable streaming platform on the market. The past few years have seen many studios put up streaming services of their own. As a result, Netflix has started losing access to some of the shows that it once helped popularize.
A good example of this is Netflix's slate of Marvel shows like Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, among others. After enjoying a lot of success on Netflix, Disney pulled back the rights to TV and film projects that it licensed to Netflix. This resulted in the cancelation of future seasons of The Defenders Saga.
Now, it appears the same thing is happening to one of the most popular shows on Netflix, Breaking Bad.
According to The Wrap, the license for the AMC title will expire on February 10, 2025. This is still ways away, but it's important to note the success of Breaking Bad and its still-ongoing spin-off, Better Call Saul, on Netflix.
The streamer has bled subscribers for the past year. It would make sense for Netflix to try and secure shows that let it retain subscribers in the first place. Hence, the concern among fans for Netflix to secure the rights to the AMC title.
Until Sony Television and Netflix can come to an agreement, fans will continue to speculate about which competitor will swoop in to take over or for Sony to launch its own streaming service, which the company was seen testing in Poland last year.
For what it's worth, we don't think that Sony Television will give another platform the rights to Breaking Bad. Keep in mind that Netflix and Sony are longtime partners. In fact, one of the biggest MCU films of all time, Spider-Man: No Way Home, is on Netflix, as will the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy. Not to mention, Netflix has an exclusive sequel film, El Camino, as well as the rights to stream Better Call Saul. It wouldn't make sense for both to be available on Netflix without the original, especially if the showrunners do another prequel series based on Giancarlo Esposito's Gus Fring.
At the same time, it's hard not to worry. Netflix has unceremoniously canceled many shows and projects in the past few months. If Netflix somehow doesn't see the financial incentive of paying up to retain the rights to one of the best TV shows ever, Sony will have no choice but to look elsewhere.
