The Superbowl should be over by now, but I don’t know because I’m not watching it (I probably would be if the Patriots hadn’t been eliminated). Instead, we’ve watched the first five parts of the 13-part Netflix series House of Cards, based on the BBC series of the same name from way back in 1990.
The Superbowl may be the biggest thing on television right now, but it’s just the latest in a long-standing annual event. Netflix is attempting to create the future of television by using on-demand streaming media to take direct aim at cable, and HBO in particular. Putting entire seasons of Doctor Who, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men online for subscribers at no additional cost has been extremely successful for Netflix, so it makes sense for the service to produce its own series, and an excellent one it is.
Netflix is using House of Cards as an enticement to new subscribers, who are welcome to watch all thirteen parts for free. The expectation is, of course, that once they’re online they’ll see what else is available and stay on for $8/month. Reed Hastings has screwed up at least once as CEO of Netflix, but this new direction looks like a winner.