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Netflix’s library of licensed content is growing. Following the massive streaming success of Suits last summer, Netflix is once again expanding its library of shows that originally aired elsewhere. (Suits aired on USA from 2011 to 2019.)

In addition to new seasons of popular original series such as Bridgerton and Love Is Blind, which are on the horizon in 2024, the streamer is also adding more episodes of beloved older shows, including This Is Us, White Collar, Lost, and How I Met Your Mother. 

‘This Is Us’ and ‘Black Sails’ will stream on Netflix in January 2024

Toby Stephen with his hand on a ship's wheel next to a an with long dark hair and a beard in 'Black Sails'
Toby Stephens and Luke Arnold in ‘Black Sails’ | Starz

Netflix is ringing in the new year by adding new shows to its streaming library. The new arrivals in January 2024 include Black Sails, a historical drama about pirates that originally aired on Starz from 2014–17 and which should appeal to fans of gritty period shows like Vikings and The Last Kingdom. 

Those looking for more heartwarming fare can revisit NBC’s tear-jerking series This Is Us, which will also be available to stream starting Jan. 8. Other shows coming to Netflix in the first month of 2024 include the recent reboot of The Wonder Years with Dulé Hill and select seasons of Survivor.

‘White Collar’ and ‘Lost’ are also coming to Netflix in 2024

Matt Bomer, in a black suit, talking to a man in 'White Collar'
Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay in ‘White Collar’ | Giovanni Rufino/USA Network/NBCU Photo Bank
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Later in 2024, Netflix will add a number of shows owned by Disney to its streaming catalog, Deadline reports. That includes How I Met Your Mother (June 3), Lost (July 1), Prison Break (July 29), and multiple installments of ESPN’s documentary series 30 for 30. USA’s White Collar could see a Suits-like revival once it lands on Netflix on April 1.

Other shows Disney is licensing to Netflix include Archer (May 13), The Resident (March 4), My Wife and Kids (Feb. 5), Reba (May 6), and The Hughleys (Sept. 2). The Bernie Mac Show and Home Improvement will start streaming in early 2025. 

Warner Bros. Discovery has also started licensing some of its older shows to Netflix. HBO’s Band of Brothers and Six Feet Under are already available to stream and will be joined by the Max original Warrior in February 2024, Deadline reports.  

Why Netflix’s library of licensed content is expanding in 2024

In the early days of Netflix streaming, a wide variety of licensed shows helped attract subscribers. But as media companies launched their own streaming services, such as Peacock and Paramount+, they began to pull their shows off Netflix and make them available exclusively on their own platforms.

Now, companies are rethinking that approach. Licensing a show to Netflix can be an easy way to generate cash and draw attention to a show that has fallen out of the public consciousness. Licensed shows such as Breaking Bad and Gilmore Girls are also among the most-watched shows on Netflix, helping to keep subscribers glued to the streamer. 

​​“We believe this will deliver additional value for our members (i.e., engagement), as well as for rights holders who benefit from the increased awareness and revenue that Netflix delivers, in addition to the new life that success on Netflix can drive,” Netflix said on an earnings call in October 2023 (via Deadline).

“Licensing is becoming in vogue again,” David Decker, content sales president for Warner Bros. Discovery, told The New York Times. “It never went away, but there’s more of a willingness to license things again. It generates money, and it gets content viewed and seen.” 

Source: Deadline

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