Where Did My Good Doctor Go?

Like a lot of people, I was dismayed to see Doctor Who once again on the chopping block in early January.  On the one hand, I knew that it made sense.  They probably renewed Doctor Who on a one year deal on January 2015 and it was time to do the obligatory warn people that a show was leaving before (quite possibly) renewing it again, probably until February 2017.  On the other, while Doctor Who didn't quite have the buzz that Netflix original shows like Making a Murderer or Jessica Jones had, it had its loyal legion of fans who were probably looking forward to the rest of the season's episodes with Peter Capaldi.

Then came the bombshell.  Yes, the Doctor would be taking his Tardis and Sonic Screwdriver with him when he left Netflix on January 31.  Soon after, word would go that he was leaving Hulu as well.

Despair and desperation raged.  There's no way that Netflix would let Doctor Who go away from my queue on February 1!  Pleas and threats to cancel their subscriptions would flood e-mails and Facebook posts on Netflix's page.  Their unofficial response:

We have lots of great BBC content coming to Netflix in the coming months, while we are gutted to lose the Doctor on 2/1, we are looking forward to more great imports from across the pond.  

They also said content comes and goes, but you get the idea.  On the one hand, they do seem "kind of" bothered by the loss of Doctor Who.  On the other, it does have a bit of a feel of life goes on.  Which one can read as being a bit calloused if one doesn't think that they've had such issues when other favorite shows went away.

Doctor Who's fans are a loyal bunch though, and I hope Netflix isn't taking their concerns and threats very lightly.  Or they might have to do some serious rethinking things if American and British fans decide to walk away leaving the company with more of the burden on their massive global expansion.

But anyway, let's get onto the good stuff.  Doctor Who's owner the British Broadcasting Corporation made an announcement that they're working on a new streaming home for the Tardis.  Where will Capaldi and company make their home?

Here at NQB, I don't claim to know any more than the average Joe.  But I can take an educated guess as to where Dr. Who ends up.  Percentages listed are the likelihood of each streaming service landing Dr. Who:

35%  BBC Streaming Service:  As part of the announcement about finding a new streaming home, BBC revealed a bit more about their streaming service.  Although details are a bit scant, one could easily make the case considering that other top echelon BBC series Top Gear (Amazon) and Sherlock (Netflix) had been spoken for that BBC might consider Dr. Who its crown jewel in such an enterprise.  Part of the question is how soon might such a service launch?  Having first been implied in Fall 2015, it usually takes time to launch such a service and fans might give up if they wait too long.

28%  Netflix:  Being the streaming company with the most eyeballs does have its advantages.  Netflix might be able to pony up enough money to make Doctor Who an exclusive home, but is that what BBC really wants?  Having landed such programs as Frozen Planet and Sherlock in the past, BBC and Netflix have proven to be good partners and it's possible that Netflix having heard the concerns and complaints of many customers about losing Dr. Who that they may be willing to work together to make it happen.

22%  Hulu:  Surprised?  Don't be.  Hulu may not have the big bucks to compete with Netflix or the BBC, but what it does have is a spirit of comradely.  Hulu was formed as a partnership of NBC, ABC, and Fox after all in the spirits to compete with big rivals Netflix and Amazon Prime.  BBC might find a kinship with that.  Several British series have already made its ways to Hulu (Coronation Street, Atlantis, The Only Way is Essex).  Is it possible that maybe Hulu can land a deal where they have Seinfeld and Dr. Who for American audiences?

10%  More than One Service:  Particularly if the BBC streaming service will take longer than they like, I could see them cutting a deal with an American streaming company in some sort of hybrid deal where the BBC would have first rights to the newest season and its episodes for a period of time before letting its partner take over.  The other episodes would presumably make their way back onto the service almost as soon as the ink is dried.  I'd guess most likely partners would be BBC-Hulu and then maybe BBC-Netflix.

5%  Amazon:  Probably the long shot of the group based on the contentious way that a lot of the BBC's shows left the streaming service in part because Amazon Prime wanted exclusives and BBC wasn't keen on alienating its other partners.  It's possible that Amazon could offer enough cash to win the rights, but if BBC is looking at any sort of time share deal, then Amazon will probably not be involved.  Probably also not helping is Amazon's partnership with ex-Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson who ended his stint with the BBC less than amicably. (WINNER)

Longest of Longshots:  TubiTV is a new player making some noise, but I doubt they have the cash to compete for this.  YoutubeRed might pick this up in part to make a splash, but it's probably more likely that they work more with their existing partners.  SnagFilm and Popcornflix are ultra-longshots at this point.  AcornTV might be an interesting spot for the Doctor to land, although BBC might look at them as more a rival than a friend and I'm not sure how deep their pockets are.

2/21 Update:  It appears that the longshot Amazon Prime has won out Dr. Who ahead of Hulu and/or Netflix.  Thanks to a post on its Twitter account, we now know that it starts streaming March 1.

2/23 Update:  It appears that the post has been deleted.  Perhaps someone jumped the gun and made the announcement a bit sooner that they were supposed to?  Or could the contract be not quite official yet?  Stay tuned.

3/22 Update:  And it's official as of today that Amazon Prime is the new home for the Dr. Who reboot as Seasons 1-8 come online next Sunday, March 27.  Seasons 9-10 will emerge after their seasons air.