Doctor Who fans already began panicking earlier this month when Netflix announced that the series would leave its subscription service.
However, U.K. fans got a reprieve, with Netflix keeping the popular science fiction show about a time traveling alien in that country. And at the time of the announcement, U.S. fans made plans to subscribe to Hulu to continue watching the series.
Unfortunately, there's more bad news for U.S. Who fans: the series will also leave Hulu as of next month, leaving that country's fans completely in the dark: there will be no Doctor Who streaming anywhere in the country as of Feb. 1.
However, the BBC definitely has something up its sleeve.
"A BBC spokesperson told us that American Whovians will still be able to stream seasons 7 - 9 on BBCAmerica.com and that the series will still be available through Amazon Video, iTunes, Google Play, and more VOD platforms," wrote Decider. "However they added: 'We hope to announce a new digital partner for Doctor Who shortly.' "
So what does that mean? Did BBC work out a deal with Amazon, Hulu or Netflix for exclusive streaming rights? That could happen, but there's another, more likely, possibility. After years of promising the BBC iPlayer to U.S. viewers, will the network finally announce its own subscription streaming service? It's something U.S. fans have wanted all along, but the BBC has put it on the back burner, thanks to a lot of pushback from U.S. cable and satellite providers.
Last year, though, the BBC announced that it hoped to launch its streaming service in the U.S. in 2016. Has the day finally arrived that this will happen? It certainly makes sense that the company would pull its most popular series from other streaming services to garner new subscribers when it makes its big announcement.
"Over the next few years, we intend to work with global partners to grow Worldwide further, taking advantage of the demand for British programming and new digital opportunities," said BBC's director general Tony Hall last year as reported by the Hollywood Reporter. "Next year, we're launching a new OTT video service in America offering BBC fans programs they wouldn't otherwise get."
So for now, Who fans shouldn't panic, at least not too much. Because in the end, this could result in the very thing they have wanted all along: U.S. access to BBC programming via streaming.
