Why House Of Cards Is More Than Just A Netflix Series

Have you heard? Or have you seen it when logging in to Netflix?

Netflix premieres a new show, House of Cards.

So what?

Everybody loves to bitch about Netflix. Especially when it comes to the scarce selection of movies and television shows.

What difference will ONE new show make?

Especially a show that’s gotten some pretty mixed reviews.

But it will most certainly make a difference. Why? Well, because we’re spoiled.

I Confess — I’m Spoiled

I confess.

I sometimes complain that I can’t see WHAT I really want to see, WHEN I want to see it.

Spoiled? Yes.

Netflix is pretty new here in Sweden, but I got used to it when I lived on Manhattan. But in Sweden today, we can also choose to watch television on Magine and we can also rent movies “video on demand” via Voddler and Headweb.

(Also, HBO launched in Sweden not long ago in one of the worst online start-up launches in Sweden since Voddler’s launch.)

By any standard, television and web is a match made in heaven.  <<< Click to tweet.

Still — I’m sooo easily bored.

And this coming from a guy who knows a great deal about P2P- and torrent sharing, aka illegal downloading aka piracy.

This coming from a guy who knows how to set up a VPN tunnel for watching internationally.

If I had a television at home, I would know how to install the video apps that comes with most new television sets today.

I shoudl be grateful I have so much to watch. Heck, I could spend a lifetime discovering Youtube if I wanted to.

But here’s the thing.

It doesn’t work like that. We’re like blood-thirsty animals who just had their first kill.

We want more. It’s bloody nature, isn’t it?

So when Netflix adds another television show, it should be only a small comfort for us who wants more, more, more.

But House Of Cards Is Not Just Another Show…

House of Cards is a Netflix original series.

This means that Netflix has produced their own television show.

So, what? might be your initial reaction. Or, I knew that already!

But let’s think about it for a while. About what this means.

Putting together a television show in this day and age is no small mountain to climb. Did Netflix succeed?

After having watched the first episode, I’d say YES.

Because it’s THAT good? No…

But because I did watch it. And because I’ll keep watching it. And that’s pretty impressive. I mean after all, Netflix is just a website, not a television drama production company.

And gosh, they have Kevin Spacey in the lead! It looks pretty good, also. It has great timing with all that’s going on in American politics right now.

And they release all episodes almost simultaneously which is very avant-garde of Netflix.

I mean, who doesn’t like binge-watching television series?

Here’s How House Of Cards Changes Things

Think about this:

• Why does Netflix take this risk? It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Netflix has heard the complaints from the users craving more content.

• It doesn’t take a genius either to figure out that Netflix would LOVE to host more content if only they could land the contracts for them.

• Why is it so difficult to land contracts? Well, the owners want to make money from the content themselves first — of course. Unfortunately for them, this strategy doesn’t have a future.

• But Netflix can’t sit around and wait for this to happen. They NEED fresh content, like, yesterday.

• So Netflix asks themselves if they can produce the content themselves to circumvent the system. And apparently — they CAN.

• Now, who’s the looser in this situation?

The answer to the last question is simple:

Rights owners thinks that they can hold on to the out-dated value chain.

A chain where a a movie hits the cinemas, then hits DVD stands and then, after years and years, gets shown on television.

But this won’t work.

“As Seen On Netflix”

If we compare the situation to the music industry, Spotify has given us a glimpse of the future of music consumption.

However, Spotify managed to fill their libraries with enough content to never having to contemplate creating their own music.

But Netflix sort of had to. And they did it.

Who knows?

“As Seen On TV” might just become “As Seen On Netflix”. <<< Click to Tweet.

Disclaimer. I’ve worked with Headweb, Magine and Spotify, but I stand by my opinions and I would never use my own personal blog to pass off paid editorials as unbiased promotions.