It might have seemed like a hard blow for fans at the time, but it's possible A&E's decision to cancel Longmire after three seasons might just boost the show's ratings for the new season on Netflix.

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Longmire had been A&E's highest-rated scripted series and second-highest rated series for the network totally at its time of cancellation earlier this year. According to a recent article in The New York Times, viewership for traditional television has been slowly on the decline ever since subscription services like Netflix came along.

"The growth of streaming is seen at this point to be the major disruptive force in the media landscape today," explained CBS Chief Research Officer David Poltrack.

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"The ratings have just disappeared," agreed Bernstein Research media analyst Todd Juenger. "You have audiences leaving ad-supported television for non-ad-supported television, and I don't think they are coming back."

For Longmire, advertising was part of the problem. The network believed that the crime drama's audience skewed a little older than advertisers would have preferred. This led the network to essentially choose advertisers over viewers, which is something subscription services don't have to worry about. This is good for Longmire fans, who essentially felt jilted by A&E after years of loyal viewership.

The writers have already reconvened to the show's new season, with production scheduled for March.

Longmire will likely return on Netflix for a fourth season in the summer of 2015.

Tags: Longmire netflix television