Talk about a huge get for WarnerMedia's upcoming streaming service HBO Max. As of Tuesday, HBO Max has secured the exclusive streaming rights to The Big Bang Theory. The colossally popular CBS series wrapped in May of this year after 12 seasons.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO Max has scooped up the streaming rights to The Big Bang Theory in a pricey five-year deal. Specific figures haven't been disclosed (we previously reported an estimated guess somewhere around the $1 billion mark), but it's believed HBO Max shelled out more than the recent $425 million paid to secure the streaming rights to Friends. Additionally, the Chuck Lorre-created multicam comedy will continue its syndication deal with TBS.
Under this new deal, all 279 episodes of The Big Bang Theory, which starred Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, and Kaley Cuoco, will be available to watch at the time of or shortly after HBO Max's 2020 launch. The Big Bang Theory was consistently one of the highest-rated sitcoms on CBS during its time on the air and it acquired a large fanbase during its 12-year run. Considering this, it's a big win for HBO Max as it looks to entice new subscribers to sign on. Fans of the show will surely want to sign up if only to return to this world, right?
In a statement on HBO Max's acquiring on The Big Bang Theory's streaming rights, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment Robert Greenblatt shared,
"Few shows define a generation and capture mainstream zeitgeist like The Big Bang Theory. We’re thrilled that HBO Max will be the exclusive streaming home for this comedy juggernaut when we launch in the spring of 2020. This show has been a hit virtually around the globe, it’s one of the biggest shows on broadcast television of the last decade, and the fact that we get to bring it to a streaming platform for the first time in the U.S. is a coup for our new offering."
Lorre also shared his thoughts on the deal, per a press release:
"I am forever grateful to have been part of something as extraordinary as The Big Bang Theory. All of us, — Bill Prady, Steven Molaro, Steve Holland, and the amazing writing staff, cast and crew, recognize that 12 seasons of laughter is a gift to be cherished. And now we are extremely excited that TBBT will be joining the HBO Max lineup and be available to both existing and future fans of the show. Laughter has legs!"
HBO Max is set to launch in spring 2020.