Earlier this morning, Netflix revealed that they will be taking off every season of Power Rangers, from Mighty Morphin’ Alien Rangers to Power Rangers Dino Super Charge at the end of the month. This is most likely due to the contract Saban Brands made with Netflix in 2011 that had Power Rangers stream exclusively to Netflix expiring this year.
Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, Power Rangers Ninja Steel & Power Rangers Beast Morphers will be staying on the streaming service for time being.
Hasbro has not commented yet on what this means for Power Rangers being on a big streaming service.
Hasbro might be renegotiating a new deal with Netflix at this time or might move the show to a different streaming service like Tubi, Hulu or Amazon Prime Video.
ShadowRay22’s Thoughts
In my honest opinion, Hasbro not renewing their contract with Netflix will be a HUGE MISTAKE. Netflix is the biggest streaming service in the world and is available in many different countries. Having that large of reach makes the show easily available to fans new and old. A lot of fans today probably experienced older seasons of Power Rangers on Netflix. Older shows like The Office (which ironically just moved to Peacock) and Friends (which is now on HBO Max) have becomes VERY POPULAR with younger generations due to their availability to binge over and over again. Every time I sign into Netflix, I usually see an older season trending and it’s NEVER MMPR.
Sure the show is available on physical media but a lot of people don’t buy physical media anymore. Having it on a widely available streaming service helps gain a newer audience and recapture an older audience. I for one love having access to every season of Power Rangers without having to carry around 30 DVD Cases whenever I wanna watch a certain episode.
A lot of fans rely on Netflix to produce fan content like using it for commentaries or research for a podcast. Our sister podcast, The GRID uses Netflix to do commentaries. We also use Netflix to get screen caps for the Morphin’ Legacy Database. Hell, the writers of the current season, Power Rangers Dino Fury, uses Netflix as a research tool.
Having the show on Netflix is also a great way to promote the Lightning Collection. When a new wave comes out and there are characters that someone might’ve never seen before, all you have to do is tell them to watch their respective season on Netflix. Without the show being on a streaming service, you have to tell this possible new fan to buy a $10-$20 DVD for a possible chance they might want to buy a $20 figure.
Also, let’s not forget the facts that pirating the show will greatly increase. Not having the show on a streaming service will entice fans to torrent the show.
Finally, one of the worst things about Power Rangers possibly leaving Netflix is that the HD seasons won’t be available in 1080p. With the exception of Power Rangers Super Samurai, Power Rangers has only released the other seasons of Power Rangers filmed in 1080p on DVD. This defeats the purpose of filming the show in 1080p. Without having access to the show on a streaming service, we’re stuck with watching the show in an inferior definition.
When Hasbro bought the franchise in 2018, they mentioned wanting to grow and expand the brand. Taking most of the show off of Netflix will be the first step in burying it deeper in the public eye than it already is at the moment.
We’re at a point where people who didn’t grow up with Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers are becoming older and want their favorite seasons to be in the spotlight, this one included. Sure it was fine to put MMPR in the front when Saban Brands bought the franchise back in 2010, where kids who grew up with MMPR were a majority of the fandom. In 2021, we’re honestly at the point where people who grow up with post Zordon Era seasons or Disney Era seasons are now grown ass adults and are slowly becoming the majority with open wallets so FEED US, HASBRO!!!
PS: It’s also stupid to take off everything but MMPR because MMPR ends with the Power Rangers as children crying that they can’t morph while a giant Rita, Zedd, Goldar and Rito descend onto Angel Grove.