Netflix is a household name. When they started Instant Internet Streaming in 2008, the idea seemed foreign. No one knew how much the industry would boom over the years. Within the past few years Amazon has jumped on, adding their own instant streaming system, Amazon Instant. Currently, Netflix is said to have 50 million subscribers worldwide. Now, with the influx of new shows and products coming from the two services, the frontier of online streaming seems to be blossoming more than ever.
On January 11, the Netflix YouTube account posted a one-minute teaser for Season three of their hit drama House of Cards. It currently has over four million views.
When the second season of the show was put online Valentine’s Day of last year, half a million people watched the whole season within the first weekend of release.
Season three of the show goes online on February 27. Season three of their other hit show Orange is the New Black should be released some time in the beginning of summer. In March, they are releasing the first season of a new show called Bloodlines. In April, they are releasing the first in a series of shows tied into the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Daredevil.
On the other side of the Internet, Amazon Instant Streaming has just dropped the first season of their new crime drama, Bosch. Alongside their highly acclaimed drama Transparent, Amazon is showing that they too have a stake in the Instant frontier. Transparent, in fact, won Best Comedy or Musical at the Golden Globes, and lead actor Jeffrey Tambor won Best Actor in a Comedy/Musical at the same awards.
In the competition, however, Netflix is certainly winning. In 2013, they received 14 nominations at the Emmys. In 2014, they received 31. All told, they have won 10 Emmys. Kevin Spacey took home Best Male Actor in a Drama at both the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards for his role as Francis Underwood in House of Cards.
In recent polls, a large reason for the decrease in attendance at the cinema is due to ticket prices. This has a clear correlation to streaming. If you can get any movie you want plus all of your favorite shows for only $8.99, why pay $10.50 for just one movie? On top of all of this, Netflix has recently announced that they will begin producing their own original movies alongside their original shows and documentaries. Their first is said to be a sequel to the famous martial arts film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
What does this mean for movies? For one thing, companies cannot release their movies to Netflix, so you must see the movie in theatres or buy them on DVD if you want to see them all. Netflix still picks up on important trends, such as adding The Interview to streaming as soon as they were able to. It is a tough competition. Do not be surprised if one day soon you see a Netflix produced film up on the Best Picture nominees list for the Academy Awards.
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