Since Netflix launched original programming in 2013, the service has experienced significant growth and has rivaled the success of broadcast, basic cable and premium cable television. Its popular programs, such as 13 Reasons Why, Stranger Things, House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black, have become part of the cultural zeitgeist and have garnered critical acclaim. With compelling original and acquired content and a model that satisfies various subscribers with different consumption methods, Netflix sets itself apart from its competitors. However, Netflix faces challenges in the future from competitors in broadcast, cable and streaming television. In this essay, I will use a piece by Thomas Schatz titled “HBO and Netflix – Getting Back to …show more content…
Recently, CBS has launched CBS All Access, which allows subscribers to enjoy past, present and live CBS programming along with CBS All Access originals for a monthly fee. The other broadcast networks, such as ABC, NBC and FOX offer streaming services which include live television and access to past episodes of current and previous series for free with a cable subscription. While these services diminish the novelty of the quintessential “binge-watching” quality of the Netflix model, the subscription-based platforms of the broadcast networks are still unable to rival Netflix in their content libraries. As Thomas Schatz writes in “HBO and Netflix – Getting Back to the Future,” a “decided advantage that Netflix enjoys... [is] that it can acquire programming from literally scores of other networks” (Schatz). CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX have access to their respective content libraries, but Netflix can acquire content from a wide variety of broadcast and cable networks, as well as international