Classic sitcom 'Seinfeld' will head to Netflix in 2021

FILE PHOTO: Comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his wife Jessica arrive at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California, U.S., September 18, 2016. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson/File Photo

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Netflix Inc landed the global streaming rights for classic TV sitcom "Seinfeld," the company said on Monday, bolstering its digital catalog as it faces the loss of two popular series.

"All 180 episodes of the Emmy-Award winning Seinfeld are coming to Netflix - worldwide! - starting in 2021," Netflix said on Twitter.

Netflix is poised to lose popular comedies "Friends" and "The Office" as the battle for streaming viewers intensifies.

FILE PHOTO: Comedian Jerry Seinfeld spreads his arms as he poses for photographers on the red carpet as he arrives to honor comedian Julia Louis-Dreyfus, his co-star on the 1990s TV program "Seinfeld", at the Kennedy Center's 21st annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, in Washington, U.S., October 21, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Theiler

"Friends" will move to AT&T Inc's HBO Max in 2020, and "The Office" will go to a streaming service from Comcast Corp's NBCUniversal in 2021.

"Seinfeld," a show starring comedian Jerry Seinfeld playing a version of himself and often humorously described as a show about nothing, followed four self absorbed friends in New York City. It was a hit on the NBC broadcast network in the 1990s.

The series currently streams on Walt Disney Co's Hulu in a deal that runs through 2020.

Sony Corp's Sony Pictures Television, which owns the distribution rights to "Seinfeld," reached the new agreement with Netflix. Terms were not disclosed.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine; Editing by Bill Berkrot)