‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ Takes a Massive Step Toward Becoming Available to Stream On-Demand
The series is likely to become available to stream at some point before the end of 2024.
The mean streets of Baltimore could be coming to a TV near you before the year is out! “Homicide: Life on the Street” is one of the most popular shows to never have made it to an on-demand streaming service, but that appears to be changing. A new update from David Simon, who wrote the book the series is based on and wrote and produced for the series during its run, is giving hope to the show’s fanbase that its streaming debut is close at hand, and could happen at some point in the next few months.
Key Details:
- Simon says that NBC has cleared the necessary music rights to sell “Homicide” to a streaming service.
- Work on these efforts first began in late 2023.
- Peacock is the most likely streamer to get the show, but NBC could decide to shop it around the industry.
A poll from TVLine whose results went public last July showed that “Homicide: Life on the Street” was the show people wanted to see put on a streaming service most. But because the series aired before streaming came into existence, the licensing contracts for its music rights didn’t account for future platforms like streaming services. That meant that the show’s streaming rights could not be sold until the music licensing issues were ironed out.
Last December, Simon took to social media to inform fans of the show that NBC, which owns the rights to “Homicide,” had finally begun the process of clearing the necessary music rights to get the show on a streaming service. This week, he offered a very promising update on X (the social media platform formerly called Twitter).
Word is that NBC has managed to finally secure the music rights necessary to sell Homicide: Life On The Streets” to a streaming platform. Andre, Richard, Yaphet, Ned, and so many others who labored on that wonderful show on both sides of the camera will soon regain a full share…
— David Simon (@AoDespair) June 17, 2024
An NBC representative confirmed to TVLine, “We’re currently in the midst of resolving the music rights issues for ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ and remastering the series to HD and UHD.”
The up-conversion to a higher definition for the show could mean that its streaming debut is not far away, and could happen at any time in the next few months. Depending on how long the process takes, fans could see “Homicide: Life on the Street” available on-demand before the end of 2024.
“Homicide: Life on the Street” is an American police procedural chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Police Department’s Homicide Unit. The show helped launch the career of Andre Braugher, who won an Emmy for his portrayal of Detective Frank Pembleton and sadly passed away in 2023.
Where Will ‘Homicide’ Stream Once It’s Ready?
The answer to this question could be incredibly straightforward. In the United States, NBC owns the rights to “Homicide: Life on the Street,” and Fremantle Media holds the international rights to the show. The series still airs reruns on linear channels, but that’s the only way fans can access it for the present outside of physical media. The easiest thing for NBC to do to remedy that would be to place the series on its own streamer Peacock and hope to attract the show’s legions of fans.
That would be the easy move, but is it what NBCU will do? The company has seen massive success from its licensing deal with Netflix to allow the 2010s drama “Suits” to stream there as well as Peacock, and a similar deal for “Homicide” could bring a truly gigantic audience to the show on both services. Netflix has signaled that it’s looking for more third-party content, and even sharing the rights to “Homicide” could be a big win for the streamer.
There’s every chance that another service like Hulu or Prime Video makes NBC an offer too good to refuse for exclusive streaming rights to “Homicide,” but that question can only be answered with time. Nevertheless, fans of the show should be highly encouraged by the latest news that the biggest hurdles to landing the series on one streamer or another are being cleared.
Peacock
Peacock is a subscription video streaming service from NBCUniversal that includes original shows, blockbuster movies, and classic television series. Peacock is home to “Yellowstone,” and “The Office,” as well as original hits like “Poker Face” and “Bel-Air.” You can also watch live sports including NFL, MLB, WWE, Olympics, Premier League, NASCAR, French Open, College Football and Basketball, and PGA Tour. Premium Plus subscribers can stream their local NBC feed in all 210 markets.