Netflix angling for original content?

[atomicAdam]

"SAN FRANCISCO -- Netflix Inc. is trying to buy the Internet streaming rights to a 26-episode drama starring Kevin Spacey before the series is shown on a television network."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/16/netflix-tv-series-rights_n_836713.html

This is interesting. I've been on the fence for so long about keeping our netflix account. Sometimes I get mad I'll spend 4hrs watching a full season of Futurama but then I think - well... that isn't Netflix fault.

[Woochifer]

Remains to be seen how this will work out in terms of viewership and subscriber acquisition/retention. I have a feeling that there's also a broadcast deal that has been arranged in the background, but not announced. This would be no different than shows like Friday Night Lights and Monk splitting the production costs by airing first on cable/satellite channels and then moving over to broadcast networks later on.

Obviously, a deal like this implies that Netflix is going after HBO and Showtime's audience. This is a bit of a risk for Netflix, because they're shelling out a lot of money for one series at the same time that their most recent content deals with the studios have resulted in huge fee increases.

The thing about HBO and Showtime is that they are now driven more by their original programming than their movies, and both networks have full slates of series on their schedule, as well as live events and other self-produced specials. They not only purchase TV series, but they do a lot of their own program development as well. Is Netflix looking to get that deep into the programming side?

[Smokey]

Sometimes I get mad I'll spend 4hrs watching a full season of Futurama.......

I think you need to get back on the mountains :D

[Woochifer]

It's now confirmed. Looks like the broadcasts will start in "late 2012."

http://blog.netflix.com/2011/03/house-of-cards.html

It remains to be seen how this will work with the entire series being played on demand. Part of the "water cooler effect" with hyped TV series is that most people watch it around the same time because of the broadcast schedule. Study after study has shown that about 75% of the audience watches a TV show during the initial live broadcast, even with time shifting devices like VCRs and DVRs, on demand services on cable/satellite, and TV shows going online within hours of their original broadcast.

With the growth of social networking, you now have feedback and interactivity occurring in real time. Unless Netflix plans to do a "live" broadcast of the series, some of that social element goes out the window with everyone tuning in at different times, especially if latecomers want to avoid spoilers.

I now see that this is a serial drama, which actually diminishes the series' value for secondary broadcasts.