Unfortunately, the availability of shows like Friends depends on the country you’re currently in. Despite its popularity, it hasn’t been syndicated and released in all regions through different streaming platforms. Does that mean you have to subscribe to another streaming service? Not at all!
Where to Watch Friends Online
Warner Bros. currently holds exclusive rights to Friends, but the show is still available from other services. Currently, you can watch Friends on the platforms listed below. Click on the name of the streaming service to jump to that section of this article.
Netflix – Availability depends on the country. HBO Max – Only accessible from the US. Prime Video – An overall good choice. TVNZ – Only available for New Zealand.
Note that Friends, or many other shows, may not be available in the country you’re in because of geographical restrictions (also known as “geoblocks”). In order to unblock these restrictions, you need a virtual private network (VPN).
Best VPN to Watch Friends Online
A VPN can make it appear as if you’re accessing a streaming website from a different country. They do this by rerouting your internet connection through a server located in your country of choice. Here’s an example: let’s say you’re currently in the United States and want to stream Friends on Netflix. Unfortunately, Friends isn’t available on U.S. Netflix. What you can do is connect to a VPN server based in a country where Friends is available on Netflix, such as Australia. Once connected, all the websites you access will see an Australian IP address (instead of your real IP address). There are different VPN options available, but not all of them can bypass a streaming service’s VPN detection. Our recommended VPN for streaming shows and movies is ExpressVPN. You get a choice of over 3,000 servers in 94 countries, not to mention top-notch speeds.
How to Watch Friends on Netflix
For five years, leading streaming service Netflix was home to Friends. Since Warner Bros. acquired the rights to the show, however, the number of countries where Friends is available became much more limited. If you want to watch Friends on Netflix, all you have to do is activate your VPN and open your Netflix account. Here are step-by-step instructions:
How to Watch Friends on HBO Max
HBO Max is a tricky platform. Since March 2021, it stopped allowing users to join the platform with gift cards. The only way to watch anything on the platform is with a US card. If you have that, here’s what you can do to enjoy Friends on HBO Max, regardless of where you are: If you can’t access HBO Max, there’s still hope. HBO Go is a smaller, cheaper version of HBO Max, and it’s available basically everywhere HBO Max isn’t. In most countries, it also streams the most popular TV shows from HBO like Friends, The Big Bang Theory, or Young Sheldon.
How to Watch Friends on Prime Video
Prime Video is another great streaming service where you can enjoy Friends. It recently expanded its reach to include parts of Eastern Europe as well, so it’s more widely available. All you need in order to join the platform is to sign-up for an account. The first month’s free, and then it’s pretty affordable (prices vary based on where you live).
How to Watch Friends for Free (on TVNZ)
Friends is available on Television New Zealand (TVNZ), a TV network that broadcasts through New Zealand and parts of the Pacific region. The show can be streamed for free, as long as you’re from New Zealand. But if you’re not, you can still enjoy the show. Here’s what you need to do:
Buying and Renting Friends
If you don’t want a subscription for streaming services, you can purchase individual episodes or entire seasons from a lot of places online. Here are all the platforms where you can buy it from:
What is Friends About?
Friends is one of the most popular TV shows from the 90s. The story follows Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Ross (David Schwimmer), Monica (Courtney Cox), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) as they navigate life in New York City. The Manhattan group of friends experience everything you can expect from life, from love to heartbreak, and everything in between. Friends is a pop culture phenomenon that most people will have at least heard of. If you somehow missed the show, here’s a trailer for the Friends Anniversary Reunion:
The entire show has 10 seasons, plus the Reunion episode. If you want to binge it, you’ll spend five days and one hour watching this show. Needless to say, we recommend you take a break while you’re at it!
Final Thoughts
Watching friends online is very easy as long as you have a VPN, and access to either Netflix, HBO Max, HBO Go, Prime Video, or TVNZ. If you want more guides on how to enjoy your favorite content online, check out our other articles:
The 30 Best Netflix Shows How to Watch Harry Potter Online How to Watch Strictly Come Dancing From Anywhere How to Watch Yellowstone Online