Netflix Receives 14 Emmy Nominations: How Will HBO Respond to this Further Evidence of a Paradigm Shift?


As reported on July 18th, 2013 by cnet, even though the Emmy rules were changed in 2008, 2013 is the first time that content that has premiered online is in contention in major categories (e.g., acting and best series).

Because of the announcements made this morning, there'll be much celebrating at Netflix later today (Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos told the NY Times “The number of awards this morning was sort of a shock to everybody... We didn’t plan a big enough party.”).

What major award nominations will have them popping champagne at Netflix?

""House of Cards" is in the running for a primetime Emmy for outstanding drama series, and its stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright are both nominated for acting honors. The Internet's biggest video-streaming site also notched a comedy-series acting nod for Jason Bateman, the lead in "Arrested Development.""

In total, Netflix was nominated for 14 Emmy awards this year: Nine for “House of Cards," three for "Arrested Development;” and two for “Hemlock Grove " (does anyone, besides Emmy nominators, even remember Eli Roth's 13 episode horror series that came and went in April 2013?).

Just as  HBO, Showtime, FX and AMC invited themselves to the Emmy party and started snatching up key awards a few years ago (cable television's first Outstanding Drama Series nomination was HBO's The Sopranos in 1999) - those cablecasters now have to contend with awards competition from interloper Netflix. And Netflix isn't playing by the traditional rules. For example, back in February 2013, all 13 episodes of "House of Cards" became available at once - and in May 2013 all 15 episodes of Arrested Development season 4 dropped at once for online Netflix subscribers.

Will other established networks begin copying Netflix's business model - making content that users can binge on and access via mobile devices?

For example, will HBO change their business plan to allow stand-alone subscriptions to a mobile version of HBO?  HBO Go could be sold to non-subscribers... but so far, while bragging about their readiness to pivot, HBO has resisted.

While HBO thinks about it, will other competitors step-in and begin offering online-only subscriptions to award-calibre content for users who seem to love binge-viewing and content that works well on mobile devices?

How long will Netflix have this particular niche to themselves?

Can somebody get HBO chief technology officer Otto Berkes on the phone?




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