The Vampire Diaries seasons 1-8 will soon be leaving Netflix. The CW series originally ran from 2009-2017. Starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, and Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries managed to stand out in an era ripe with other vampire-related content like Twilight and True Blood. The show remained one of The CW's most popular until its finale and also spawned the spinoffs The Originals and Legacies.
In 2011, Netflix struck a programming deal with the network, adding over 700 hours of television from The CW's most popular TV shows, including Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries. That deal was extended in 2016 to allow new seasons of CW shows to come to Netflix earlier than they had previously been. This has led to a new generation of viewers discovering The Vampire Diaries for the first time via streaming, alongside those revisiting it after watching it on The CW.
However, Netflix’s time housing The Vampire Diaries will come to a close soon. The streaming service has released its list of shows and movies that will be leaving the platform in September. This includes all eight seasons of The Vampire Diaries. The show will be leaving Netflix on September 3, 2022.
Netflix’s announcement may come as a surprise to those who turn to the platform to rewatch episodes of the beloved series. Not only will The Vampire Diaries be leaving Netflix, but the September 3 date means that the series will be vanishing from the service in less than two weeks. This is a fast turnaround that gives viewers very little time to catch up on old Vampire Diaries episodes, as the series’ eight-season run amounts to over 100 hours.
With The Vampire Diaries exiting Netflix so soon, a key question remains: how will this loss affect Netflix’s continuing subscriber problem? While Netflix may certainly focus its energy on its original series like The Sandman and other upcoming content, losses of popular shows like The Vampire Diaries undoubtedly cause the platform to take more subscriber hits. Netflix may be unlikely to lose a substantial amount of subscribers from The Vampire Diaries alone, but other popular titles have also departed the service lately, including the Marvel Defenders shows. Netflix may become a less and less desirable streaming platform for users. As the year continues and The Vampire Diaries likely finds a new streaming home, Netflix will continue to reshape its platform through ad-supported options and likely other methods of revenue boosts and subscriber retention.
Source: Netflix