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Netflix now bigger than HBO

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Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#111

Post by gamble »

filmgirlcw wrote: post #45
colkassad wrote: post #4

I just finished watching the first season of House of Cards and I really enjoyed it. It's up there with original HBO programming as far as quality is concerned. If they can keep that up then traditional outlets should definitely stay worried. I know there was some talk about Netflix's future because of their dependence on content providers, but if they can keep this up then they certainly have a hand to play.

That becomes the question. The problem is that their current production slate indicates that they maybe have one -- maybe two -- standout shows to do a year. HBO typically has 4 (right now that would be Game of Thrones, Girls, Boardwalk Empire and True Blood with The Newsroom being an easy slot for #5). Right now, Netflix's original programming track record is really spotty aside from House of Cards -- which is absol…

Hemlock Grove is also excellent. But the point isn't to make money on these shows. Netflix knows that once people sign up, they're unlikely to drop their subscription. At the moment, Netflix is known as a place to get older movies and last season's TV shows. They want to change that perception with some must-watch shows that entice people to sign up. Netflix itself is more than worth $8 per month even without original content, but they need people to sign up before they can see that.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#112

Post by anigbrowl »

filmgirlcw wrote: post #45
colkassad wrote: post #4

I just finished watching the first season of House of Cards and I really enjoyed it. It's up there with original HBO programming as far as quality is concerned. If they can keep that up then traditional outlets should definitely stay worried. I know there was some talk about Netflix's future because of their dependence on content providers, but if they can keep this up then they certainly have a hand to play.

That becomes the question. The problem is that their current production slate indicates that they maybe have one -- maybe two -- standout shows to do a year. HBO typically has 4 (right now that would be Game of Thrones, Girls, Boardwalk Empire and True Blood with The Newsroom being an easy slot for #5). Right now, Netflix's original programming track record is really spotty aside from House of Cards -- which is absol…

I sub to Netflix to watch movies; I would like it if there was a wider variety on their streaming offerings but it's slowly and consistently improving. Original programming is gravy - although it's increasingly tasty gravy. HBO's been doing this for ages, whereas this is pretty new territory for Netflix. I think they're doing fine.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#113

Post by anigbrowl »

tnuc wrote: post #55
arjn wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, House of Cards with Spacey is excellent. I started and liked it so much I finished watching all episodes in 2 days. Its really good to see companies like HBO and Netflix giving the traditional TV media houses a run for their money. BTW, if you liked House of Cards, check out Game of Thrones.

>... if you liked House of Cards, check out Game of Thrones. Is there anyone on hn who hasn't checked out Game of thrones?

I read one of the books, but I hate the idea of getting sucked into the plot and then waiting years for the final installments. I manged to postpone reading all the Harry Potter books until last year so I think can hold out on GoT too. I don't have HBO so I'll just pick it up on DVD sometime...after I've gotten around to watching The Wire.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#114

Post by chrischen »

jfoutz wrote: post #88
tnuc wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>... if you liked House of Cards, check out Game of Thrones. Is there anyone on hn who hasn't checked out Game of thrones?

Me. I don't have HBO, and I'm not willing to pirate it.

It's for sale on iTunes, and I believe on physical media as well.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#115

Post by gizzlon »

aidos wrote: post #35

I'm really cheering for Netflix. Outside of the US (I'm in the UK) people have complained about a lack of content but I'll pretty much give all my money to the people who bring back Arrested Development.

Agreed, I live in Scandinavia and the the content is really lacking. But at ~12$ it's so cheap (cable is maybe 50-100 $) I can keep Netflix and NBO Nordic..

Edit: That being said, I'd probably discontinue Netflix if it weren't for Arrested Development and, to a lesser extend, House of Cards

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#116

Post by koralatov »

pisarzp wrote: post #74
jebblue wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Netflix just needs movies, we haven't watched HBO since the 80s'. Their programming was never why we watched anyway. It's all about the movies. If I want original programming, and we do, we watch the education channels, in HD, free OTA.

I think that's it's actually the other way round. Popularity of YouTube and shows like Game of Thrones proves that people are tired of long movies. Attention span has shortened and people want condensed action delivered immediately.

The popularity of Game of Thrones disproves that attention spans have ``shortened and people want condensed action delivered immediately''. It's incredibly complicated, in-depth, and sometimes takes entire seasons for the pay-off to be delivered. Spending the first two episodes (20%!) of the third season laying the table for the remaining eight is pretty much the antithesis of ``condensed action delivered immediately''.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#117

Post by koralatov »

anigbrowl wrote: post #113
tnuc wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>... if you liked House of Cards, check out Game of Thrones. Is there anyone on hn who hasn't checked out Game of thrones?

I read one of the books, but I hate the idea of getting sucked into the plot and then waiting years for the final installments. I manged to postpone reading all the Harry Potter books until last year so I think can hold out on GoT too. I don't have HBO so I'll just pick it up on DVD sometime...after I've gotten around to watching The Wire.

The rate at which he's writing the books, expect to be finally cracking the binding on them in 2025 or so...

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#118

Post by dagw »

mbell wrote: post #69
jebblue wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Netflix just needs movies, we haven't watched HBO since the 80s'. Their programming was never why we watched anyway. It's all about the movies. If I want original programming, and we do, we watch the education channels, in HD, free OTA.

As a counter point, I honestly see 'movies' somewhat dying out. Shows like Game of Thrones, House of Cards and several others now have the same production quality as movies and aren't hamstrung by the same limitations. e.g. how do you tell a deep story in 2 hours?

For what it's worth I consider the so called 'limitations' of movies their greatest strength. TV shows, given an almost unlimited time budget, have a nasty tendency to ramble unfocused all over the place, telling 20 stories badly as opposed to 1 story well. With a movie you have to pare down and focus on what is really important and have a clear vision of what you're trying to say. To my taste this almost always leads to a much better story.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#119

Post by __david__ »

jebblue wrote: post #67
filmgirlcw wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That becomes the question. The problem is that their current production slate indicates that they maybe have one -- maybe two -- standout shows to do a year. HBO typically has 4 (right now that would be Game of Thrones, Girls, Boardwalk Empire and True Blood with The Newsroom being an easy slot for #5). Right now, Netflix's original programming track record is really spotty aside from House of Cards -- which is absol…

Netflix just needs movies, we haven't watched HBO since the 80s'. Their programming was never why we watched anyway. It's all about the movies. If I want original programming, and we do, we watch the education channels, in HD, free OTA.

Have you tried their original programming recently? At the turn of the century HBO and Showtime started producing really amazing original shows that easily rival any movie and have become the top tier of TV shows. I would venture to say that most people that get HBO nowadays do it for the original programming and not the movies.

These premiere shows had a much different feel than normal "big 3" network TV shows. They tend to be much more serial, with story arcs that go for whole seasons or even longer. They also tend to have much shorter seasons (generally around 8 to 12 episodes). This serial style really lends itself well to in-depth story telling and the shorter seasons means more attention is spent on each episode (since they don't have to constantly churn out new episodes all year).

An interesting technique that many of the shows use is to base themselves off a book series but make the entire 10 to 12 episode season cover a single book. Dexter, Game of Thrones, and True Blood all seems to do this with reasonable success. It allows them to get much more detailed than a 2 hour movie based on a book could possibly be.

Re: Netflix now bigger than HBO

#120

Post by __david__ »

jimbobimbo wrote: post #99
mbell wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a counter point, I honestly see 'movies' somewhat dying out. Shows like Game of Thrones, House of Cards and several others now have the same production quality as movies and aren't hamstrung by the same limitations. e.g. how do you tell a deep story in 2 hours?

There're plenty of movies that manage to tell deep stories in 1.5 hours. Netflix is a treasure trove when it comes to quality entertainment.

Depends on what your definition of "deep" is. Have you watched Game of Thrones? The story is very complicated and I can't imagine a 2 hour movie being made out of it without dropping a lot of story on the floor.
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