According to a survey conducted by financial services firm Cowen & Co., about 23 percent of Netflix subscribers say they have canceled their premium TV service after opting to pay for broadband access to stream TV over the Internet — signifying a direct tie to cord-cutting. Among the 1,200 respondents, 46 percent said they have access to Netflix, while 28 percent are paying for the SVOD service. Continue reading Numbers Are In: Survey Says Netflix Leads to Cord-Cutting

According to Netflix, one in ten of its streaming subscribers have watched its exclusive drama “House of Cards.” On average, each of those viewers has taken in six to 13 episodes so far, of the 13 total available in season one – all of which was made available at one time. This delivery approach intended to capitalize on viewers’ desire to binge-watch entire seasons in short periods of time. Some see this distribution model as a risky proposition. Continue reading Distributing Entire TV Seasons All at Once Has Downsides

Netflix bought the original drama “House of Cards” in 2011, committing to two seasons of the then not-yet-filmed show directed by David Fincher and starring Kevin Spacey. The purchase also earned the streaming company headlines as it placed Netflix into a high profile role typically occupied by the likes of HBO. But while Netflix claims its online programming to be commercial free, it is not without advertising. Continue reading Heavy Product Placement for Commercial-Free Online TV

The Netflix political drama “House of Cards” debuts via the streaming video site today. Directed by David Fincher and starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, the series is the first original programming financed by Netflix, which could take on cable offerings from the likes of HBO and Showtime. It also serves as a new experiment to the distribution model, since all 13 episodes will be made available at once. Continue reading Netflix Debuts Entire Season of New Political Drama Today

“TV networks may have plenty of flaws, but one thing they’re really good at is promoting other TV shows,” writes AllThingsD. But what about Netflix? The streaming service does not have experience promoting its own shows and does not have advertising support from TV networks. How will it advertise new shows like “House of Cards” (to launch in February) and “Arrested Development” (due in May)? Continue reading Netflix Markets its Original Content Without a TV Network

Netflix has taken another big step forward in offering premium content, following its announcement that it will have exclusive rights to stream 26 episodes of the original series “House of Cards” starting in late 2012. The Internet streaming service outbid cable channels such as HBO and AMC. “House of Cards” is a political drama based on the 1990 BBC miniseries of the same name. The new production will star Kevin Spacey; David Fincher is tapped to direct.

The deal is a big move for Netflix, which traditionally only airs previously produced and aired content. For the first time the company is licensing content before it is successfully produced. “Typically, we license TV shows the season after they run on a broadcast network or cable channel, and occasionally we have episodes from a current season, as is the case with ‘Saturday Night Live’ from NBC, ‘Spartacus’ from Starzplay and ‘Wizards of Waverly Place’ from Disney Channel,” Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos wrote on the Netflix blog. “In all of these cases, the shows are produced before we bring them to Netflix. ‘House of Cards’ represents a slightly more risky approach.”

According to Ars Technica, Netflix currently delivers 61 percent of all digital video content to U.S. viewers. However, it should be noted that Amazon has tossed its hat into the ring with an instant video service that undercuts the Netflix streaming subscription by approximately $16 per year.

Related Wall Street Journal article (subscription required): “Web Shows Get Ambitious — Tech, Media Companies Race to Create Video Hits that Look, Feel More Like TV” (3/21/11)

Related Business Insider article: “Exclusive Interview with Netflix CEO Reed Hastings — Netflix’s Market Opportunity Is a Lot Bigger Than You Think” (4/4/11)

Related Ars Technica article: “Amazon Takes on Netflix with move streaming service for Prime” (3/11)