Netflix Locks Down The Entire ‘Walking Dead’ Universe In A Massive New Streaming Deal

‘The Walking Dead’ has been terrifying and captivating audiences since it first shambled onto screens, and its afterlife on streaming has proven just as durable as the franchise’s undead antagonists. Netflix has been the exclusive U.S. streaming home of the original series since 2011. Over the years, the zombie apocalypse saga expanded far beyond its roots, spinning off into a sprawling universe of spinoffs, specials, and character studies that turned a single cable drama into one of television’s most enduring franchises.

That history stretches back further than most viewers realize. ‘The Walking Dead’ premiered on AMC on October 31, 2010, growing from a critically acclaimed genre series into one of the most successful and influential franchises in television history, spanning 11 seasons and 177 episodes. Its cultural footprint helped prove that passionate fan communities could sustain a franchise for well over a decade.

Now, that legacy is getting a major streaming refresh. As reported by DiscussingFilm, Netflix has renewed its rights to stream every show in ‘The Walking Dead’ universe, and this time the agreement stretches five more years while also opening the door for AMC+ to join the party. Netflix and AMC Global Media announced that the entire Walking Dead Universe, spanning seven series and 371 episodes across 15 years of television, will stream co-exclusively on both Netflix and AMC+ starting in January 2027 under a five-year, $500 million licensing agreement.

The renewed agreement covers ‘The Walking Dead’ alongside its six spinoffs, including ‘Fear the Walking Dead,’ ‘The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,’ ‘The Walking Dead: Dead City,’ ‘The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live,’ ‘The Walking Dead: World Beyond,’ and ‘Tales of The Walking Dead.’ The deal will also extend the franchise’s availability on Netflix into new territories, including the U.K., Italy, Australia, and New Zealand.

Perhaps the biggest shift for longtime fans involves AMC’s own service finally getting a piece of the flagship show. While the original ‘The Walking Dead’ has streamed on Netflix since 2011, the new co-exclusive setup means AMC+ will carry the original series for the first time starting in 2027. Individual series will roll out on both platforms on different dates as existing licensing arrangements expire across different regions.

Netflix and AMC executives framed the renewal as a celebration of the franchise’s staying power. Lori Conkling, Vice President of Licensing at Netflix, said “Audiences have discovered and loved The Walking Dead on Netflix for nearly 15 years and the show continues to attract new fans,” adding that the partnership would “continue to expand that access to more audiences around the world.” That sentiment was echoed on the AMC side of the table, with the official statement carrying additional weight given the scale of the investment involved.

AMC Global Media CEO Kristin Dolan called the agreement “a fantastic result for our companies, for the fans and for this timeless IP,” noting that the co-exclusive setup creates “a global destination for this universe” with all shows and episodes in one place. The news arrived alongside AMC raising its full-year revenue guidance to between $2.4 billion and $2.45 billion, citing the streaming agreement as a contributing factor.

With the franchise now locked into two major platforms for half a decade, the renewed deal cements ‘The Walking Dead’ as one of the rare shows that keeps finding new life well past its finale. Are you more excited to finally watch the original series on AMC+, or does having the whole undead universe under one Netflix roof matter more to you?