Posted in: BBC, Current News, Netflix, TV | Tagged: doctor who, netflix

Doctor Who on Netflix? Streamer Announcement Makes Things Interesting

Doctor Who on Netflix? The streamer's recent announcement and co-CEO Greg Peters' recent comments could make things very interesting...

While a large chunk of the Doctor Who universe focuses on whether there's anything to read into what's going on over at the show's main website regarding Billie Piper's Rose Tyler and Showrunner Russell T. Davies' upcoming Christmas Special, we've been keeping our radars focused on what going on behind the scenes regarding the show's future. We know that the BBC, Bad Wolf, and BBC Studios have vowed to keep the long-running series going, but what that could mean – and, more specifically, if a new streaming partner will be in the mix – remains to be seen.

Near the beginning of February, Zai Bennett, CEO and Chief Creative Officer, BBC Studios Global Content, noted that "we're all in it together" when it comes to the show's future, though it remained to be seen if BBC Studios would step up its funding to make up for the loss of Disney's money. "We're a big important part of 'Doctor Who' and are all motivated to make sure 'Doctor Who' has a long and flourishing life. We've got the Christmas special coming. After that, it's time for us all to work on it," Bennett said during the interview, adding that he "won't speak for the BBC" or to its plans.

Later that month, BBC Director of Drama Lindsay Salt offered some additional insights during a profile interview with Deadline Hollywood. Salt was asked about the show's status and where things stood regarding the BBC, BBC Studios, and Bad Wolf potentially bringing another production partner aboard. The biggest headline-grabber was Salt revealing that talks on financing and the show's long-term future hadn't yet begun, with the focus on Davies' Christmas Special.

"There are different ways of setting up a show. We just need to make sure we do it in the right way and make sure we take the right time to do it. Ultimately, it's one of the BBC's most treasured brands, so it's not going anywhere," Salt shared. "I managed to walk into this job when the co-pro market imploded, and I've learned a lot about the tenacity of producers and writers to make things at all budget levels. Things are getting funded in so many different ways now," she added.

At around that same time, we noticed that BBC Studios and Bad Wolf had made rather flattering comments about working with HBO/HBO Max on previous projects, such as Industry (set to wrap its run with its upcoming fifth season). Salt noted upcoming co-production projects from Richard Gadd and Michaela Coel as examples of how the BBC has been successfully working with HBO/HBO Max, adding, "We'll wait and see how we figure it out. HBO have been great partners creatively. There's a lot of stuff that is changing out there."

Could that new partner be HBO/HBO Max? That's been the rumbling rumor over the past few months, with BBC Studios and Bad Wolf having made rather flattering comments about working with HBO/HBO Max on previous projects, such as Industry. Salt noted upcoming co-production projects from Richard Gadd and Michaela Coel as examples of how the BBC has been working with HBO/HBO Max, adding, "We'll wait and see how we figure it out. HBO have been great partners creatively. There's a lot of stuff that is changing out there." Being the streaming home outside of the UK for Seasons 1-13 (modern era) beginning in 2020, before the Disney deal kicked in, the move wouldn't be surprising.

But could there be another player in play? Having walked away from its efforts to buy Warner Bros. Discovery's studios and streaming services $2.8 billion richer for it, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters shared with The Telegraph that the streaming service is "eager" to host programming from broadcasting networks – especially the BBC. Noting that Netflix has a proven reputation for making sure a licensed show "gets to as big an audience as possible" (with Suits being one of the best examples), Peters added, "Our job is to think about this from not only the BBC's perspective, but a lot of broadcasters. How can we help them actually connect with audiences that they're not really connecting with? We're eager to do that."

Regarding the recently announced BBC/YouTube deal to produce original programming for the service, Peters noted that Netflix can support high-quality television in a way YouTube can't. "When you think about what a BBC production or a Netflix production costs, it's not really supported by the YouTube model. The most important thing about YouTube is that their model does not sustain the type of content investment that we're talking about."

While HBO/HBO Max may have an advantage in its working relationship with BBC Studios and Bad Wolf, there's no denying Netflix's global streaming reach. Even if you make the argument that a finalized merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery would bring a stronger Paramount+/HBO Max combined streamer, it would still be nowhere near the reach that Netflix has and continues to build upon. That said, it would be safe to assume that the streamer would be looking for streaming rights to the entire run outside of the UK, which would definitely sweeten the deal regarding Netflix's financial interest in continuing the series.

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