How to Watch "Friends" In Australia

Friends and Netflix are going on a break in America. But what does that mean for those of us down under?

Did you read the news that Friends was being taken off Netflix in America and fly into a panic, concerned that your precious gang of extremely '90s New Yorkers were going to be stripped out of your life?

Don’t worry Aussies, it’ll still be there for you on Stan.

So, what’s going on?

WarnerMedia, which owns the rights to Friends, is launching its own standalone streaming service in 2020 called HBO Max. Since Friends has only increased in popularity in the 15 years since it went off the air, WarnerMedia is ending its lucrative licencing agreement with Netflix (who paid $US100 million in 2018 to keep it for one more year) so it can host the show on its baby streamer.

However, as Variety reports, HBO Max looks like it will only be for American audiences. Not only does this mean that Foxtel will retain their exclusive rights to most HBO shows down under, but Netflix will get to keep streaming Friends in international territories too.

But wait, Friends isn’t even on Netflix in Australia?

Correct! For reasons we won’t get into—largely because, well, Foxtel, Netflix and Stan don't tell us the particulars of their confidential licensing agreements, no matter how many times we ask —all ten seasons of Friends are only available to stream in Australia on homegrown service Stan. (Could this be any more confusing?)

We’ve reached out to Stan for confirmation that Friends will remain on their service into 2020 and beyond. Regardless, the impending removal of Friends from Netflix in the States shouldn’t affect your ability to binge-watch all 236 episodes on Stan over and over again, starting now.

So, just to reiterate: How do I watch Friends in Australia?

You can stream all ten seasons of Friends in Australia on Stan. It's also available to purchase via Apple and Google Play stores.

Or, if you’re really worried about losing access to your precious Friends, you can always fork out about $100 for the complete series on DVD or Blu-ray. Physical media’s not obsolete yet! As Ross would say…

Update 17/09: You can now stream all 10 seasons of Friends on BINGE and Netflix. The series is no longer available on Stan. 

Header Image: NBC