There is some terrible news for Doctor Who fans, especially those working their way through New Who. Many episodes are about to leave streaming, and they have no home to speak of just yet.
On top of that, Torchwood is also leaving streaming. It makes it clear that owning shows and movies on DVD and Blu-ray is still the best way forward since there’s no need to wonder where to go for the past episodes.
Doctor Who is leaving HBO Max at the end of the month
Torchwood, the Doctor Who spinoff starring John Barrowman, will leave HBO Max today, Saturday, July 26. Then on Thursday, July 31, all 13 seasons of the newer Doctor Who series will leave HBO Max. Yes, that’s everything from the Christopher Eccleston years through to the Jodie Whitaker years.
There isn’t a new home for the 13 seasons just yet. While the Classic series is on BritBox and Plex and the newer series starring Ncuti Gatwa is on Disney+, the middle seasons will be left in the void for the time being.
Of course, this likely isn’t going to stay this way forever. There are often new licensing deals made, and it’s possible that Disney+ could be working on something to get the episodes to join with the newer seasons. For now, though, you’ll either need to buy the episodes on Digital or on DVD and Blu-ray.
Doctor Who leaving streaming makes it clear DVDs are still the way
When streaming first came out, there were a lot of questions about whether DVDs and Blu-rays would go obsolete. Yet, people kept buying them. While the sales have dipped a little, it’s not at the point where they’re not being made at all.
There’s a reason for that. Plenty of shows have left streaming platforms with no future home. Licensing agreements get in the way, and not just for the shows. In a lot of cases, deals need to be made for the music or even the sponsored products shown from the past. This can lead to shows and movies not actually finding a streaming home.
So, DVDs and Blu-rays are still needed. When it comes to cases like Doctor Who, it makes it clearer and clearer that DVDs can’t disappear. There have already been many episodes of Doctor Who lost from the Classic era, because the BBC didn’t think that they would ever be watched again and due to other incidents. Now we’re in a new modern era of watching TV, and yet, we still need to make sure content is accessible at home so we’re not relying on companies.
Doctor Who seasons 1 to 13 will leave HBO Max on Thursday, July 31.
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