HBO Aiming for 600 Hours of Original Programming, Squaring up with Netflix Directly
|Just like the major networks duking it out for live television ratings, HBO and Netflix are going for the jugular when it comes to streaming original content.
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes said HBO is looking to add roughly 600 hours of original content to their growing library of shows like Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley and Girls, all while Netflix is hoping to double its offering in 2016 with over 60 original titles exclusive to the streaming service.
Shows like ‘House of Cards,’ ‘Orange is the New Black,’ and ‘Daredevil’ have brought plenty of subscribers to Netflix, all while their main library of third party content has deteriorated. Netflix has found strength in a business model where they aim to create and distribute their own content at a rate high enough to keep customers happy without noticing the overall shrinking library by title count alone. In other words, quality over quantity.
There’s been a phrase circulating for a few years that “Netflix needs to become HBO before HBO becomes Netflix” and they’re certainly headed for the middle ground, with growing originals subsidized by a library of movies as well.
But maybe competition isn’t as direct as many people assume? Netflix and HBO certainly don’t have to remain the exclusive streaming service for consumers, with many people, including myself, opting to pay for both standalone services.
Like ‘Motley Fool’ is reporting, executives at both companies likely see a growing pie of internet television, meaning they can both grow their audiences without fighting each other.
But over time, it seems likely that this will have to change at some point. Netflix is currently looking international as they hope to expand their customer base into the 100 million-plus range, while HBO is hoping to drive subscribers to their new streaming services such as HBO Go and HBO Now.