Netflix will test whether Machiavelli and math are a winning formula as the world’s largest subscription-video service debuts “House of Cards,” its most ambitious step yet into original online-TV programs.
Netflix made the political thriller, starring Kevin Spacey, available yesterday to its 33 million streaming subscribers worldwide.
CEO Reed Hastings, looking to extend the company’s lead in online TV, likens the show to “The West Wing,” the NBC series that ended in 2006, if it were done by Machiavelli.
Hastings, 52, is placing big financial bets to secure Netflix’s future as the dominant player as more viewers move online.
He says Netflix, which has 27.2 million US subscribers, can grow to as many as 90 million over the next two decades.