Sex and the City to stream in its entirety on Netflix for the first time

For the first time ever, Netflix users will be able to watch all six seasons of Sex and the City.

It was reported on Wednesday (24 January), that the streaming service had licensed the show from Warner Bros Discovery, the parent company of HBO where the series originally aired from 1998 to 2004.

The New York Times first reported the news, citing three people familiar with the deal. The Independent has contacted Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery for comment.

The popular drama, starring Sarah Jessica Parker as New York columnist Carrie Bradshaw, will be available in the US and several other European markets, sources told Variety.

Created by Darren Star and adapted from Candace Bushnell’s book anthology of the same name, the series also stars Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall.

The agreement is the latest in a string of licensing deals for Netflix following the enormous, renewed success of Suits after it landed on the streaming platform.

“I am thrilled that the studios are more open to licensing again, and I am thrilled to tell them we are open for business,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-chief executive, said in a quarterly earnings call on Tuesday.

“We’ve got a rich history of helping break some of TV’s biggest hits, like Breaking Bad and Walking Dead or, even more recently, with Schitt’s Creek,” said Sarandos. “Because of our recommendation, our reach, we can resurrect a show like Suits and turn it into a big pop-culture moment but also generate billions of hours of joy for our members.”

Sarandos continued: “I think you have to remember, the studios have always been in the business of selling their content to others, including direct competitors, for years. I believe, because, again, of our distribution heft and our recommendation system, that sometimes we can uniquely add more value to the studio’s IP than they can. Not all the time but sometimes it does, and we’re the best buyer for it.”

Since Suits landed on Netflix last summer, it has racked up more than 45 billion minutes of streaming time, breaking records for the most-watched acquired title.

Previously, cable networks had refrained from licensing legacy shows to streamers; however, increased financial strain has led to more money-making rental agreements.

Issa Rae’s Insecure, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, Six Feet Under, Ballers and True Blood are among the HBO titles streaming on Netflix as of last year.

Sex and the City launched its critically divisive spin-off series And Just Like That in 2021 on HBO Max in the US and Sky and Now in the UK.

Despite a string of negative critical reviews and a growing backlash towards some of its lead characters, And Just Like That was renewed for a third season in August last year.

Last week, Sara Ramírez raised suspicions about whether they would return for season three following a post about the “duplicitous” nature of the entertainment industry. Their character, comedian and podcast host Che Diaz, is one of the series’ most disliked characters.