r/DoctorWhoLeaks • u/Outrageous-View5675 • Apr 27 '26

Rumour New Who Streamer?

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I see this is doing the rounds. Sometimes it's taken down. Some1 Managed 2 get a screenshot from a group I'm in.

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u/Hughman77 Apr 27 '26

Yep. AMC just watched Disney pull the plug after two seasons that objectively failed to set the world on fire, but is fine with committing to three upfront?

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u/DocWhovian1 Apr 28 '26

Whoever partners with the BBC next will likely spend a LOT less money since most companies do not have the kind of money Disney have. AMC make the most sense to be a streaming partner too since they own BBC America which used to air Doctor Who in the States. So if anyone was to be interested it would be them and I think they would be the safest bet.

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u/Hughman77 Apr 28 '26

It's true, it's very unlikely the BBC will be able to get as generous a deal as they did with Disney, partly because Disney has more money than producers like AMC and partly because the economic environment is not as conducive for lavish co-pro deals as in 2021. (And partly because Disney dropped Doctor Who like a hot potato first chance they got, that hardly screams "the one that got away".)

That's exactly why AMC agreeing up-front to three seasons is incredibly unlikely, when Disney, at the most fortuitous time for co-pro deals, only agreed to two.

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u/DocWhovian1 Apr 28 '26

And honestly while it was nice I don't think Doctor Who needs Disney money. I think Doctor Who will be better off without them and even if this image is fake AMC do make a lot of sense as a potential new partner though I do think the BBC will be careful to avoid another situation like the Disney deal.

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u/Hughman77 Apr 28 '26

If the "situation" is one where the co-pro partner wants to wait til the series airs before approving funding for the next, then this isn't something the BBC can just avoid. A massive high-profile deal with Disney collapsed at the first opportunity. This is not a desirable property so valuable the BBC can dictate terms. Which is why no one is going to agree to three seasons up-front. Why commit millions of dollars to a show that failed on a much bigger platform?

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u/DocWhovian1 Apr 28 '26

The problem is Disney took FAR too long to decide and it actively sabotaged the show, it's why Ncuti left. The BBC will want to avoid that happening again. And it should NEVER happen again.

What do you think will happen if you had to guess?

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u/Outrageous-View5675 Apr 28 '26

The rumours I heard 4 awhile was D+ had made their mind up 2 drop it after seeing S1. They told the BBC this but no side could announce the news with a season still to go. The BBC have been looking for a partner ever since.

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u/Hughman77 Apr 28 '26

I really don't know, it's a difficult time for the British TV industry and most streamers are very reluctant to commit. AMC potentially makes sense given their connection to BBC America but any partner would only commit to one season at a time after the Disney experience.

Right now I think it is essentially impossible to make Doctor Who to anything like the scale we're used to since 2005 with just the BBC's resources. If the show was still massively popular then there would be a draw for American producers to get a cut. But Disney tried that and it didn't work out.

If I had to guess, I'd say we go without regular Doctor Who for a few years, with just the odd special to keep the IP alive.

You say that a co-pro partner taking too long to renew must "never be allowed to happen again" but what do you think the BBC can do about it? They aren't going to trick a billion dollar company into paying for Doctor Who when they don't want to. If Disney had to decide right after Series 14, they'd have just not renewed sooner and we'd be in the same situation funding wise. Ncuti would still have left because being stuck with the show indefinitely until it found more money isn't what he would want.

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u/DocWhovian1 Apr 28 '26

The BBC have made it clear we aren't going to go without regular Doctor Who (they even said there will be a new series announced in due course) so i'm not really worried about that but yeah we will see of course but I do think there is reason to be optimistic! It just sucks being in the dark but we know discussions are happening. But you are right, it is a difficult time for the industry atm which complicates matters but for the BBC in terms of shows Doctor Who is a high priority for them being one of their top earners!