CEO says Netflix was “outbid” for rights to Fleabag

Fleabag has received a lot of praise and Emmy nominations, but it wasn’t always certain that Amazon Prime Video would be the platform on which it aired.

Netflix is able to spend billions of dollars on content, but that doesn’t mean it always gets what it wants. At the Royal Television Society’s Cambridge Convention, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings revealed that the company was “outbid” by Amazon for the rights to the hit show Fleabag.

The Phoebe Waller-Bridge-led comedy has received glowing reviews from fans and critics, earning 11 nominations at the upcoming Emmy Awards, including best comedy series and best lead actress in a comedy series. Hastings and Netflix understandably wish they would have been able to close the deal for the show’s rights, which were sold by All3Media International.

Netflix might have missed out on Fleabag, but this surely doesn’t mean it’s given up on Waller-Bridge all together; any streaming platform would be overjoyed to let the writer/actress bring a new show to their service in the future. Amazon would seem to have the edge given their existing relationship, but the door likely isn’t closed to the Netflix’s of the world.

As the multitude of streaming services fight for eyeballs, a renowned show like Fleabag can really make a platform stand out. In a streaming world with less competition, missing out on a hit show once in while likely wouldn’t irk Hastings and Netflix too much, especially with all the other solid content they have to offer. But with Hulu, Disney+, Peacock, Amazon Video, HBO Max and CBS All Access ALL soon to be in the mix, missing out on a Fleabag hurts a lot more.

Source: Deadline