At first glance, it may seem odd that Netflix chose to premiere its first huge original show House of Cards today, leading into Super Bowl weekend.

Not only is the Super Bowl championship game one of the most watched live events in the entire world, but it also gobbles up attention for most of the day with pre- and post-game analysis programming. Most of the major networks treat Super Bowl Sunday as if it were a holiday, delaying new episodes of their scripted and broadcast shows to avoid an audience ratings decline.

But clearly Netflix isn’t scared the big game will prevent people from watching House of Cards. And that’s despite reports from Sandvine showing a 40 percent drop in Netflix streaming usage compared to an average Sunday evening/night during last year’s Super Bowl. Part of its lack of fear might have to do with all the other TV networks playing reruns or deferring regular content until next week — meaning House of Cards might be the only great piece of TV worth watching on Sunday for those not watching the game.

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House of Cards has been getting glowing reviews from critics as well as tons of positive comments from Netflix subscribers via social media today. The show, which comes from the minds of director David Fincher and actor/producer Kevin Spacey, is a Washington D.C. political drama about corrupt congressman Francis Underwood (Spacey), who will stop at nothing to become President of the United States.

Netflix, which has promoted the show’s trailer on its streaming service for weeks, is releasing the full 13-episode season today. That’s a sharp difference in strategy from the cable networks, which make their audience wait 13 weeks to finish a story, one hour at a time.

And if the allure of a hot new show isn’t enough to bait people into checking out the new show between now and Sunday, the company is streaming the first episode for free on its website. Also, Netflix has partnered up with Microsoft to provide free access to its app on Xbox Live all weekend long (meaning access to all the episodes, son!). This is interesting because the “free weekend” is a promotional tactic commonly used by premium cable channels like HBO and Showtime to gain new customers.

It’s likely that Netflix subscribers (and those participating in the Xbox Live free weekend) won’t have time to finish the entire 13-episode run between now and Super Bowl kickoff. But, if House of Cards lives up to the buzz from critics (and it should), Netflix may end up seeing a nice usage boost beginning Monday — and a crop of new subscribers.

Theoretically, any boost in subscribers that can be attributed to House of Cards should play well with investors — especially since the company isn’t expecting the show’s debut to have an immediate impact on growth, Netflix chief exec Reed Hastings told analysts during last week’s Q4 earnings call.

We’ve reached out to Netflix for comment about the Super Bowl’s impact on streaming usage. And as always, we’ll updated this post with any new information when and if we hear back.

Will you be watching House of Cards this weekend? Let us know in the comments.

Premium streaming video service Hulu is allegedly asking for a new $2oo million investment from its media company owners, according to a Wall Street Journal report that cites unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

The rumor comes just days after Hulu chief exec Jason Kilar announced some impressive data about the service’s growth in 2012. Hulu now has three million paying subscribers of its Hulu Plus service, and it brought in a total of $695 million in revenue — a 65 percent increase compared to last year. But the company also spent about $500 million on content and didn’t disclose its other expenses, which could include promoting its original content and expanding into new international markets.

The $200 million investment, according to WSJ’s sources, would help create more original programming and expand into other countries. Both of these areas are a core part of the business strategy for Hulu competitors Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video, meaning Hulu may just be making sure it keeps up. Netflix has committed up to $5 billion for content over the next few years, which includes original shows, such as House of Cards, Lillyhammer, Arrested Development, and more. And today, Amazon released details for six new pilot episodes of original programming to air on Prime Instant Video.

The real question is whether Hulu owners News Corp. and Disney will be willing to take a chance by investing more money into a streaming service that hasn’t entirely proven itself as a profitable business despite its record year-over-year growth. The two companies differ greatly in their opinions of Hulu’s business strategy, with Disney/ABC preferring the freemium model and News Corp./Fox pushing for an all subscription-based model.

The WSJ report also indicated that Hulu could be taking a loss of up to $30 million for the year, which is based on earnings data from Disney’s most recent quarterly report. If this is true, it could be much harder for Hulu to get additional money.

Netflix released a teaser trailer for its upcoming original TV show House of Cards today, which features director David Fincher and actor Kevin Spacey.

Netflix won an expensive bidding war with other premium cable channels (HBO, Showtime) to gain the rights to air the show over its streaming video service last year. And unlike those cable channels, the company plans to release all 13 episodes February 1, 2013.

Judging from the trailer alone, it seems like Netflix may have its first truly HBO-quality hit. At any rate, House of Cards will certainly be better than Lilyhammer, the company’s first attempt at original programing. Netflix is also scheduled to debut other original shows in 2013, including the resurrected Arrested Development.

For Netflix, a lot is riding on the success of this show. Not only is the company spending a ton of money on producing original programming, but it’s also pursuing an aggressive international expansion. Both of these actions use profits from Netflix’s domestic subscription business, which didn’t report much of a profit in the latest quarterly earnings report. That caused Netflix’s stock price to drop. If that wasn’t enough, billionaire financier Carl Icahn grabbed a 10-percent stake in the company with the intent of selling Netflix off to a larger company.

If House of Cards is wildly popular (and increases domestic subscriptions), it could provide some proof to shareholders that Netflix’s current business strategy is indeed working.

We’ve embedded the trailer video below. Let us know what you think of it in the comment section.

Not satisfied with its already extensive library of old TV shows via its Prime streaming video service, Amazon is now planning to develop its own lineup of original children’s shows and sitcoms, the company announced today.

Amazon is the latest company to embark on a mission for premium original TV content, which is quickly becoming a necessity for grabbing and holding on to a large subscriber base. For instance, streaming service competitor Hulu’s current lineup of original programing includes scripted comedy Battleground, Morgan Spurlock’s A Day in the Life reality series, and unscripted travel show Up to Speed from  director Richard Linklater as well as four other shows slated for early 2013. Netflix is also producing its own lineup of exclusive original shows, including Lillyhammer, Kevin Spacey’s House of Cards, Eli Roth’s Hemlock Grove, and the highly anticipated fourth season of cult-sitcom Arrested Development.

Needless to say, Amazon has its work cut out for itself.

However, Amazon has been preparing for an original programming push for a while through its content development division, Amazon Studios, which launched in November 2010. The division, which currently has 15 movie projects in development, is seeking proposals for new comedy and children’s programs. Amazon will choose one proposal per month for development, and those that get approved for a full series will snag a pretty decent deal that includes a $55,000 check, a cut of merchandising sales, royalties, and bonuses.

Unlike Amazon Studios’ movie developments, the TV shows will get distributed exclusively through its Prime streaming video service. And as AllThingsD’s Peter Kafka points out, the TV shows will feature production quality and story telling that’s on par with cable or satellite TV programming.

Amazon’s push for original TV programing isn’t entirely based on staying competitive with Hulu and Netflix. The company’s Prime Streaming service is actually just one of the perks offered to customers that sign up for Amazon’s $79 per year Prime Membership. The streaming video service, along with the forthcoming original programming, is part of the company’s strategy to boost Prime memberships, which ends up driving more business to its online retail store.

Adventure Time image courtesy of Cartoon Network

After announcing record growth earlier this week, Hulu shed some details about the slate of original series heading to the streaming video service.

Hulu’s current lineup of original programing includes scripted comedy Battleground, Morgan Spurlock’s A Day in the Life reality series, and unscripted travel show Up to Speed from acclaimed director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Slackers) this summer. At a presentation to ad buyers today, the company announced four new series produced/staring some notable names in the industry.

The new series include:

• We Got Next, a show about four unlikely friends butt heads on the pick-up basketball court and on the sidelines of everyday life. It stars Kenya Barris (The Game, Are We There Yet?) Hale Rothstein (Everybody Hates Chris), Danny Leiner (The Office, Modern Family).
• The Awesomes, a show about super-heroes that do battle against super villains, paparazzi, and public ridicule. The show stars Seth Meyers (Saturday Night Live), Michael Shoemaker (SNL), and the animation studio behind Fox’s Bob’s Burgers, Bento Box.
• Don’t Quit Your Daydream, a show about a group of traveling musicians, which is based on a an award-winning documentary by Adrian Grenier and John Loar.
• Flow, a show from video game industry star Michael Wendschuh about an individual’s quest for justice and redemption after being framed for a crime.

The new shows bring Hulu’s original programming lineup to seven, thus far. Chief executive Jason Kilar has previously stated that the company will spend about $500 million on content for 2012, and a portion of that will go toward original shows. The company is ready to stop relying solely on content from the big broadcast and cable networks (Fox, NBC, ABC, CW, Viacom, and others) to draw in viewers.

Via TechCrunch

After gaining over 2 million paying subscribers of its Hulu Plus premium subscription service, Hulu is ready for its next big challenge — evolving into the first true internet-based premium television network.

“If we’re really on our game, people will look back on it and will say, ‘Wow, I can’t believe TV was like that in 2007,’ ” Hulu CEO Jason Kilar said during the AdAge digital advertising industry event in New York City this week.

To give you some background, Hulu offers limited access to ad-supported prime time TV show on its website. It’s Hulu Plus subscription service runs users $8 per month for access to a larger library of exclusive content as well as the ability to watch programming on several different devices. Hulu gets about 38 million monthly visitors, according to comScore. and reported $420 in revenue for 2011 (up 60 percent from the previous year). Next year, the company expects half of its revenue to come from Hulu Plus subscriptions alone.

Now, the company is ready to stop relying solely on content from the big broadcast and cable networks (Fox, NBC, ABC, CW, Viacom, and others) to draw in viewers. Instead, Hulu wants to produce its own slate of original programing, and has licensed 13 original TV shows that will appear exclusively online. Some of the original shows on Hulu include scripted comedy Battleground, Morgan Spurlock’s A Day in the Life reality series, and unscripted travel show Up to Speed from acclaimed director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Slackers) this summer.

As the New York Times points out, Hulu is pitching advertisers on those new shows, much in the same way traditional TV networks do each season.

And speaking of advertising, Hulu is also making some big changes to boost results. Hulu is already leading the pack in terms of video ads shown. In February the company ran 1.5 billion video ads, compared with Google’s 1.2 billion, according to comScore.

Along with the milestone Hulu Plus subscribers announcement, Hulu also reveal that it was revising its advertising strategy so that advertisers are only charged when a commercial (video ad) is viewed to completion. So for instance, if I close the browser window in the middle of a commercial break for Community, Hulu doesn’t charge for that ad. This “100% Completion Rate” guarantee is something that Hulu probably wouldn’t even consider if it wasn’t confident that the majority of its commercials are actually finished. However, the new strategy may  provide just enough incentive to grab more big-name advertisers who prefer to spend their ad budget on regular TV alone.

Hulu’s potential setbacks

Despite massive growth to its overall user base, paying subscriptions, and advertising revenue, Hulu still faces plenty of challenges that could potentially derail its forward momentum.

All of Hulu’s content as ad-supported, which means users may be more inclined to watch older episodes of a TV show on ad-free streaming services like Amazon’s Prime Video or Netflix. And in terms of original programming, Hulu is entering a battle with Google-owned video site YouTube, which has committed to spending upwards of $100 million to boost its library of premium original shows. YouTube’s efforts have swallowed up internet-centric web shows like Felicia Day’s The Guild, The Onion News Network, and others.

But for Hulu, it’s not likely that the company will be able to allocate anything close to $100 million to jump-start its original programming line up. Hulu’s owners — NBCUniversal/Comcast, Fox/News Corp., ABC/Disney –  are some of the biggest broadcast TV stations in the country, which limits what Hulu can do in terms of growth and strategy. In the past, Hulu’s parent companies haven’t really seen eye-to-eye on how to grow the streaming video service, which nearly lead to them selling off Hulu.

“The bulk of our business is working with those big media companies, and they’re going to make choices based on how they see the whole ecosystem evolving,” Hulu SVP of Content Andy Forssell told the NY Times.

Fan-generated sports commentary site Bleacher Report announced a deal with YouTube today to bring four new sports-themed shows to its branded YouTube channel.

The Bleacher Report’s website’s content comes from over a 1,000 columnists and 6,000 contributors that write commentary from a fan perspective. While the new shows will definitely use this fan mentality, it’ll also feature high-profile names in the sports and entertainment world.

The new Bleacher Report channel is part of  YouTube’s strategy to boost the amount of premium original videos available on the site, making it more than just a place to watch funny cat videos and viral content. In October, YouTube committed $100 million in channel partnerships to make sure that this strategy succeeds. Some of these channel partnerships include Madonna’s DanceOn, World Wrestling Entertainment’s Fan Nation, and exclusive bits from the Onion News Network. More recently, YouTube forged deals to bring a variety of news-related channels to the site from partners like Reuters, Young Hollywood and Penske Media-Ion TV as well as a new indie film fest channel in partnership with Ridley Scott.

As for the shows themselves, here a brief description of each by Bleach Report’s news release:

B/R 5

Bleacher Report’s daily dose of the five biggest, best or most buzzworthy sports stories of the day, featuring Desi Sanchez (E! News Now and MTV) as the host.  Available Monday through Friday, the daily show covers the hottest games, athletes, personalities and stories across the sports landscape that is delivered through an irreverent and entertaining style that is unique to Bleacher Report.

NFL Draft 365 

Hosted by Alex Panos (HGTV’s “Run My Money” and SNY’s “Beer Money”), NFL Draft 365 will be the first show of its kind to provide year round coverage of the lightning rod for discussion and debate that is the NFL Draft.  With speculation, storylines and insatiable appetites for information, NFL Draft 365 will fill that void all year-long. Each weekly episode will include a current or former NFL player as a guest analyst, starting with Pittsburgh Steeler QB and two-time Super Bowl champion Charlie Batch. Regular features will include a War Room segment with Bleacher Report NFL Draft Lead Writer Matt Miller, in-depth profiles on top draft prospects, and candid memories from current and former NFL stars on their draft experience.

Why We Watch

Produced by Jim Forman (Showtime Championship Boxing and ESPN Classic), Sarah Kreiger (The Olympic Games), Amir Ebrahimi (NACHO LIBRE) and Chris Peterson (Top Gear USA), Why We Watch features short form sports documentaries that tell unique stories that capture the emotion and passion inherent in why we watch sports.  Each weekly episode of Why We Watch will focus on a narrative unique to the sports landscape, be it a small story with major significance or a fresh new angle on a well-known event. Initial subjects include female auto racing pioneer Janet Guthrie and Robin Ficker, the NBA’s most notorious heckler.

Full Ride

Beginning in March, Full Ride is a weekly show serving information, opinion and analysis about the college football recruiting scene.  Produced by Marc Kohn (Heisman Trophy presentation and NFL Draft), Full Ride will focus on the big programs and five-star recruits that make the college football world turn while uncovering diamonds in the rough that might push the next national championship contender over the top.

Although Yahoo is in turmoil after the ouster of CEO Carol Bartz, the company is still continuing to release digital products and trying to innovate. The company on Tuesday launched a new video site called Yahoo Screen that it will use to launch eight new original web shows and polish its overall video offerings.

Original online video is heating up, as web companies realize the advertising possibilities of homemade, branded content. Yahoo’s news follows AOL’s announcement yesterday that it would also expand its video products by launching more than 15 new original web series. Google is also expected to throw its hat into original video creation ring, after a report yesterday that it has set aside $100 million for YouTube programming. Yahoo, Google and AOL likely see original video series as a major opportunity to reach a new generation of web consumers who have embraced Netflix and Hulu and cut the cord on cable TV.

The new Yahoo Screen will replace Yahoo Video as the site’s primary video destination. Yahoo says the eight new original programs will be aimed primarily at women and feature actresses like Judy Greer and Niecy Nash, as well as documentarian Morgan Spurlock.

On top of that, the Yahoo Screen site will show licensed content from established content providers such as Fox News and Discovery. It also will license clips directly from Hulu, which is slightly peculiar since Yahoo was supposedly one of the top bidders for Hulu. Perhaps after Bartz’ exit, the company is no longer interested in picking up Hulu, and decided it would be easier to simply mimick Hulu’s strategies with its own site. Yahoo Screen even looks a lot like Hulu.

Yahoo’s push into video could also benefit the company’s just-announced partnership with ABC News. ABC News programming and content will find its way onto Yahoo Screen and help provide a variety of content that could keep users coming back.

Have you watched anything Yahoo Screen? Do you think it will help Yahoo?

Not to be outdone by Google, AOL on Monday announced it will launch 15 new original web video series produced by or starring celebrities including Jennifer Lopez and Heidi Klum.

We also found out Monday that Google has put up $100 million for original programming on YouTube, with the search giant in talks with the likes of Tony Hawk, Warner Bros. and the production company behind TV comedy The Office. Both Google and AOL likely see original video series as a major opportunity to reach a new generation of web video consumers who have embraced Netflix and Hulu and cut the cord on cable TV.

New original programming on AOL will come from big companies like Michael Eisner’s Vuguru and Warner Bros. One could-be-big show on the list is AIM High, an action series starring Twilight’s Jackson Rathbone, about a high schooler who is also a secret government agent. Another is Jennifer Lopez’s Nuyorican Productions and Believe Entertainment Group’s Tiger Beat Entertainment, which is based on the teen idol magazine and will target the same audience with news and lifestyle features.

“We are pleased to announce a slate of programming that shows our innovative approach to video,” said Ran Harnevo, Senior VP of AOL Video, in a statement. “It provides one of the best platforms on the Web to connect advertisers with premium content at scale. We’ve built a video ecosystem supported by our data and insights into what excites viewers, combined with a deep understanding of what they share and discuss online.”

AOL has been in trouble with its stock price as of late, but the company has had positive traction when it comes to its media properties, especially the Huffington Post. It likely hopes a slate of original video will give it another opportunity to attract strong pageviews and big advertising dollars.

A full listing of AOL’s new video series can be read below:

Women
• Little Women, Big Cars: From bake sales and soccer games to gossip and divorce, four moms navigate the comedy and drama of suburban life. Starring Ed Begley Jr., Antonio Sabato, Jr., Julie Warner and Kristy Swanson. Produced by Vuguru.
• A Supermodel Stole My Husband: A lighthearted makeover show in which a frustrated wife enlists an adored supermodel to help transform her husband. Produced by AOL Studios.
• Heidi Klum on AOL: A guide to fabulous living for everyday women, including fashion, beauty, parenting, lifestyle, fitness and nutrition. Produced by Full Picture.
• Jocks & Jills: Sports show meets The View in a fresh and funny sports talk show hosted by a rotating panel of diverse celebrity guests. Produced by Flavor Unit Productions.
• Lost in Translation: Reality series following a hip-hop DJ and famous ‘Nuyorican,’ as she attempts to learn Spanish, learn to cook, date and reclaim her Puerto Rican heritage. Produced by Flavor Unit Productions.
• Fearless Living: Based on her best-selling book On Becoming Fearless, Arianna Huffington looks at the many aspects of living a fearless life – from motherhood and parenting to beauty and health to navigating the workplace to friendship, relationships and aging gracefully. Produced by AOL Studios.

General
• The Tanning Effect: Steve Stoute, best-selling author of The Tanning of America, interviews entertainment icons and pop-culture thought leaders including Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams; the series is sponsored by State Farm. Produced by AOL Studios.
• Sessions: Original, exclusive performances with hitmakers such as Alicia Keys and Adele. Produced by AOL Studios.
• Unscripted: Celebrity co-stars interview each other with users’ burning questions. Past talent includes Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Aniston, Robert Pattinson and Adam Sandler. Produced by AOL Studios.
• You’ve Got: Everyday, everyone from Barack Obama to Kevin Bacon to Paula Abdul tells the world what ‘You’ve Got.’ Produced by AOL Studios.

Men
• AutoBlog – The List :Hosts who consider themselves true automotive aficionados must tackle crazy car challenges from ‘The List,’ created by Autoblog’s expert editors. Produced by AOL Studios.
• The Interface: Exclusive performances from breaking artists, such as Mumford and Sons, Rogue Wave, Manchester Orchestra and The National. Produced by AOL Studios.
• MMA Hour: Up close and personal with the celebrities of the MMA Fighting world. Produced by AOL Studios.
• The Engadget Show: Industry leaders and tech luminaries take the stage in front of an audience of tech enthusiasts. Produced by AOL Studios.

Teens & Young Adults
• CliffsNotes Films: Short, animated, irreverent versions of literary classics, produced by Mark Burnett, Coalition Films and AOL Studios and Executive produced by Josh Faure-Brac. Columbia Pictures’ film Anonymous (in theaters October 28th) is the exclusive sponsor of the first six episodes.
• AIM High: TV broadcast-quality action series following Nick Green as he juggles high school with being a secret government agent. Starring Jackson Rathbone from Twilight and Aimee Teegarden from Friday Night Lights. Produced by Warner Bros.

Fresh from its successful implementation of the HBO Go app, Home Box Office is launching a new MAX Go app. The app will stream the HBO-owned Cinemax channel’s library of content across multiple devices.

Versions of the app are available for Apple’s iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, as well as select devices running Google’s Android operating system. Much like HBO Go, the MAX Go app is free of charge to Cinemax subscribers through a participating television provider, including Charter, Cox Advanced TV, Verizon FiOS, AT&T U-Verse, Suddenlink, DIRECTV and DISH Network. For now, it appears one of the largest bases of cable subscribers, Comcast, will not be included in the launch.

MAX Go subscribers have access to over 700 hours of programming, including Cinemax’s first original series Strike Back, which premieres tonight. Like HBO has done in the past with True Blood and Game of Thrones, MAX Go subscribers will be able to watch next week’s episode a week early in the app.

Being able to offer original programming incentives has been crucial to the success of HBO Go’s adoption. However, unlike with True Blood and Game of Thrones, Strike Back doesn’t have a large built-in audience. Personally, I’ll be curious to see how well the app fairs with this kind of set-up — especially since Netflix is essentially doing the same.

The launch of the MAX Go mobile app also coincides with the debut of the redesigned Cinemax.com.