Netflix confirmed Wednesday that the seventh coming season of "Orange is the new black" will be the last, announcement that will be communicated a few weeks before the start of "House of Cards". Although the circumstances are quite different – the life of the latter was shattered by the scandal that caused the release of star Kevin Spacey – causing his release – the fact that such a double loss represents a simple jolt is a sign of the scope of the streaming service come in a relatively short time.
In fact, the new "Orange" was announced after Netflix had announced the creation of 7 million subscribers in the last quarter, bringing its total to 137 million. Earlier this year, the company broke HBO's control of the Emmy Awards – first by ending its long string of 21st-century channels as the most-nominated network, then ranking overall in price terms.
Notably, this milestone came without the help of single winner "House of Cards", which has not been released during the eligibility period; and "Orange" who did it, but after losing several steps in a creative way, no longer garnered much recognition.
Other shows, however, filled the gap, Netflix having added series at a dizzying pace. HBO, in fact – the long-standing pillar of the award – is in fact characterized as a brave slacker, citing the large number of contenders that Netflix has generated as evidence of the qualitative advantage of HBO.
It's almost hard to imagine now, but at the time of its debut, "House of Cards" was considered a huge bet for Netflix. The service – which then had 33 million subscribers – has engaged in two seasons of 13 episodes, for a total declared cost of $ 100 million. Today, this would only represent a small fraction of its multibillion dollar budget, encompassing hundreds of original or acquired programs.
Netflix will still have a significant debt to these two shows (as well as banners like Amazon and Hulu), which has demonstrated – to the public and, just as importantly, to Hollywood talent and its guards – that service was a viable destination for premium series and marquee names.
Yet when both Netflix freshmen in 2013 officially end their tenure – spent in the White House and in jail – they are no more than footnotes on the subject. story of a media monster, the one projecting an ever wider and gradual shadow of the days to be dependent on one or two shows.
