If you're not currently binge watching the original Netflix series “House of Cards”, you might be in the minority—since millions of subscribers have already driven the show to become the company's most viewed content to date according to Chief Executive Reed Hastings.
Even though Hastings did not offer up any specific viewership hours for “House of Cards,” which debuted on February 1, just ahead of Super Bowl weekend, he posted on Facebook that the series is “The #1 most popular TV show in the world, according to IMDb.”
“House of Cards has been a great success for us as we had hoped”, Hastings said at a Morgan Stanley investors’ conference in San Francisco.
In just a matter of weeks this wicked political thriller which stars Academy Award winner Kevin Spacey and the lovely Robin Wright, has taken over as the most-watched program on Netflix—both in terms of total hours streamed and total viewers.
The series is not only generating huge media buzz, it's also drawing attention from viewers in 40 other countries where Netflix streaming is available.
“We’re not doing ratings, [but] we’re thrilled with the numbers,” said Netflix Content Chief Ted Sarandos. “It’s the most watched thing on Netflix in every country we operate in.”
The gateway to the highly addictive House of Cards opened through the purchase of my Apple TV which offers a free Netflix 30 day trial. No sooner than I signed in I started devouring the entire 4 seasons of “Sons of Anarchy” and then quickly began to engourge myself on House of Cards.
The first two episodes which were brilliantly directed by David Fincher, had me instantly hooked with every intention of completing the 13 part series within seven days—consuming two 1 hour shows per sitting.
Although most viewers may not have noticed the influence of Fincher beyond the first two episodes—I was keenly aware that something was different as this taught political drama seemed to lighten a bit in intensity for the remainder of the series. That's not to say that the story line suffered or series as a result of Fincher's absence, it only felt a tad less urgent.
According to recent rumors it's still uncertain if David Fincher will be signing up to work on House of Cards Season 2 due to conflicts with other projects. Filming is expected to begin sometime in March.
House of Cards is currently available on Netflix which you can stream instantly through a number of devices including your iPhone and iPad. I suggest you do so immediately and invest a minor $8 dollars to start ingesting this series sooner than later. You will not be disappointed.
Reed Hastings is convinced that the “real value” from House of Cards will come in the second season—a proving ground of sorts that will determine if this juggernaut can be built into a franchise with real staying power.
“In the beginning, it’s really about establishing a foundation for that,” Hastings said.
I have little doubt that House of Cards will fail to exceed expectations when Season 2 launches. At least that's what I'm hoping as I wallow in the tragic downside of binge watching the entire series in one week.
My feelings can best be expressed through the immortal words of mister Tom Petty, “The waiting is the hardest part.”
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