Netflix has picked up the streaming rights for Mattel Television’s Thomas & Friends in the US.  Season 23 will be available on the streamer in March, followed by season 24 later this year.

The Mattel series moved over from PBS to Nick Jr. only two years ago. At the time Mattel and Nick signed a deal that all new seasons of the series would air on the preschool net and Nick would take over as the brand’s exclusive US licensing agent. Nickelodeon in the US will no longer air Thomas and Friends following this deal with Netflix. And the consumer products rights are now back with Mattel as the toyco continues to focus on building franchises.

Internationally, Netflix will have library episodes in Asia (Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam), Canada, Europe (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland), Latin America and the United Kingdom. Specific content availability dates will vary by market.

However, Mattel will continue to work with local broadcasters across the globe to air current seasons.

The 23rd season of Thomas consists of 20 x 11-minute eps and three 22-minute specials.

When the series first hit airwaves it was on PBS in 1989 as sequences on Shining Time Station. But it began as a standalone Thomas & Friends half-hour series in 2004 on PBS in the US and only left the pubcaster for Nickelodeon in 2018, ending nearly 30 years of programming on the American pubcaster.