Could you one day be able to stream every episode of the ‘show about nothing’ on Netflix?
Probably not. Well, who knows? Maybe? Jerry Seinfeld says it’s at least a remote possibility.
“Jerry, any word on Seinfeld coming to Netflix?” asked a redditor during a Thursday AMA session with Seinfeld.
“You are a very smart and progressive person. These conversations are presently taking place,” he said.
Of course, conversations are simply conversations. I had a conversation about running a couple miles yesterday. Let’s just say conversations have a mixed track record when it comes to turning into actions.
Here’s what’s standing in the way of your Saturday Seinfeld binge session – syndication success. Not just regular old syndication success, but the more than $3 billion type. Reports indicate that both Seinfeld and Larry David have scooped up at least $400 million thanks to repeat fees since the show ended in 1998. You know how there’s always an episode of Seinfeld on – somewhere, somehow? That’s because there is, and people eat it up.
It’s this syndication popularity (along with impressive DVD sales) that makes the parties involved reluctant to make deals with a streaming company like Netflix – or even sell episodes direct to viewers on iTunes.
Other than network and cable TV, you can currently watch Seinfeld (legally) on Crackle. There, you can watch about a dozen or so free episodes at any given time, and they rotate in and out fairly consistently.
Clearly not the best streaming setup.
A Netflix deal would be the Seinfeld and future Seinfeld fan’s dream come true. For now, you’ll just have to settle for watching reruns on cable, buying the DVDs, or finding uh, less wallet-bashing means to get your Seinfeld fix – not that there’s anything wrong with that.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
