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House Of Cards Becomes Netflix’s Most Viewed Program, But What Does It Mean Going Forward?

Netflix

With much of the talk surrounding David Fincher and Netflix’s series being related to the show and its backer’s business model, it appears as though all the naysayers have some crow to eat.

After the release of all 13 episodes of the first season of Fincher’s House Of Cards, think pieces started popping up and every Twitter user had their own opinion about how ground breaking or silly the dumping of an entire season on the streaming service truly was. However, it looks like it’s at least massively successful.

In speaking at the D: Dive Into Media conference, Netflix CCO Ted Sarandos revealed that the series is not only the service’s most watched series, but that the question surrounding this series is that did the company get more than their money back with this venture? And according to him, he said yes, they’ve done well and they are “thrilled” with the results.

So where does that leave the overall conversation surrounding the series? With its success now known (even though no numbers were given), it’s hard to see this series and its success not changing the way we consume television, or at least start the change. But could it be a onetime curio? The catch here is that “nearly all” viewers of the first episode, continued to watch the show, proving a few things. The show itself is great, yes, but while people say they like the “water cooler” discussion and weekly roll out of network TV, binge watching has become how many people watch TV. This is no different than missing a premiere of a show only to catch up with it at your leisure on a DVR or something.

Personally, I think this news is great, and I can’t wait to see what else Netflix has in store for us. With more shows on the horizon, Netflix is slowly unrolling a collection of original content that, with their wide base of content doesn’t need to be that “killer app” that you see in something like the video game market. In that market there is always that one game or accessory that makes the console the one to buy, or give a consumer a reason to purchase the console in general. Here, the original content may get people in, but it’s hard to see people leaving after viewing just how deep a roster of movies and shows Netflix has to offer.

At least that’s my thought. The comment section is open for this one, so please, let us know what you guys think. Are you skeptical due to a lack of hard numbers? Or is this not shocking to you at all?

Source All Things HD

Joshua Brunsting

Josh is a critic, a member of the Online Film Critics Society, a wrestling nerd, a hip-hop head, a father, a cinephile and a man looking to make his stamp on the world, one word at a time.