Analysis of the Success of House of Cards

Abstract

Two Thousand and Thirteen was a good year for Netflix. The first Netflix original programming, House of Cards entire first season, was launched on February 1, 2013. It allows subscribers to binge watch, frees them from the anxiety of waiting, and of course, becomes popular. More than that, high quality of the show fetched positive critics' reviews and nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations which is a first for online-only web television series (CNN, 2014). Its success led to the renewal of the third season. In the era of the convergence of traditional and new media, the change caught everyone's attention. Content providers acquired a new distribution channel. Media owners combine their resources. It makes combined the function of two or more devices and the new way to distribute content happen. Some of the critics and researchers deem Netflix is the future of television (Paskin, 2013). However, the famous House of Cards is not the only Netflix Original. In fact, there are 23 other Netflix original shows in the year of 2013 only. It seems to be the solution to extend the on-demand content selection, so that, Netflix would not be just a platform for customers to access and manage their entertainment. By investigating into Netflix, we may understand what made House of Cards stand out and how it influenced the future of streaming media.M.S., Television Management -- Drexel University, 201