House of Cards Headed to... Redbox? - The UpStream

House of Cards Headed to... Redbox?

posted Saturday Sep 21, 2013 by Scott Ertz

House of Cards Headed to... Redbox?

Sometimes I wonder if companies make announcements just to see if we will believe them or not. That is what we have here. Netflix has announced that their original series House of Cards will soon be available at Redbox, one of their biggest competitors.

This is all part of their attempt to transition from broadcaster to producer, the same thing that Hulu and Amazon have been trying. This is just an interesting approach to the concept, and a upping of the ante for the competitors. If you are going to challenge the industry through the competition, there is probably not a better Trojan horse than House of Cards.

With NINE Emmy nominations, this series can appeal to anyone through any service. Adding the "Netflix Original Series" bumper to the beginning and end of an episode turns the show from a great series to watch to an advertisement for one service on another. It's a little like seeing FOX commercials while watching a show on Adult Swim.

Will this undercover marketing work? Well, if the concept was bad, the broadcast networks wouldn't do it all the time. If it is successful, it can help CEO Reed Hastings accomplish his goal of having around 20 original programs running at any given time. Currently, in addition to House of Cards, they also have Orange is the New Black; only 10% of the way to his goal.

If you don't currently have Netflix and are interested in checking out this program, you will be able to through Redbox on October 8th. Once you fall in love, it might be time to get a Netflix subscription and check out the rest of the great content that is available.

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