Why isn’t Homicide: Life on the Street on streaming yet? Reason explored

Homicide: Life on the Street is a show that's a fond memory for numerous 90s kids. The series is based on the book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon, who later wrote one of the best crime shows, The Wire.

Homicide: Life on the Street has a major fan following, with the fanbase hoping to be able to stream the television series on a streaming service. The series saw the late Brooklyn Nine-Nine actor Andy Braugher in his breakout role as Detective Frank Pembleton.

As per a 2023 poll by TVLine, the acclaimed crime drama was the most sought-after, non-streaming television series. The writer David Simon had earlier confirmed that Homicide: Life on the Street is being remastered in HD and UHD.

However, the series is unavailable on a streaming platform for two major reasons. The first reason is that it's still unclear which platform will be streaming the series in the US and also internationally.

While NBCUniversal holds US rights, Fremantle holds the international rights. Secondly, there were issues with the music rights to the series, which hindered the process of bringing it to a streaming platform.

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David Simon confirms that NBC has secured the music rights to Homicide: Life on the Street

A poster of the series (image via IMDb)

Music rights can be a major barrier when an old series needs to be streamed on a streaming service. That's exactly what happened when it came to Homicide: Life on the Streets.

As per David Simon, the rights to the series were negotiated and settled at a time when streaming services did not exist as a viewing platform. Thus, securing the music rights to ensure fair compensation became one of the major reasons why the series is still not streaming on any service.

However, David Simon confirmed today that the issues surrounding the music rights to the series have finally been resolved by NBC. He conveyed the same through a post on X, which reads:

"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 of their legacy. Stay tuned for more details."

David Simon hinted towards the arrival of the popular police drama series on a streaming service back in 2023 through an X post. He hinted that NBC Universal and Fremantle were attempting to clear the music rights to the series.

He also claimed that it would involve a lot of work. The series features licensed music from numerous artists who at the time were not paid keeping future platforms in mind. Thus, an eventual return of the show to a streaming service would also require the artists to be fairly compensated for the use of their work.

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What is Homicide: Life on the Street about?

Homicide: Life on the Street is a police drama series based on fictional characters from the Baltimore Police Department. The series follows members of the Baltimore Police Department homicide unit as they crack several high-octane cases.

The show is most remembered for its iconic characters. The late Andy Braugher as a master interrogator Frank Pemberton played a pivotal part in the success of the series.

He was joined by the late Richard Belzer who played the iconic character of Detective John Munch, a character who appeared in several other police dramas such as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

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The Emmy Award-winning series will soon be announced for streaming on a platform. Stay tuned for news and updates about Homicide: Life on the Street.