It will be like the Yankees and the Red Sox. I predict HBO will do the best creative work of their lives in the next 10 years because they are on war footing. They haven t really had a challenge for a long time, and now they do. It s going to spur us both on to incredible work.
— Reed Hastings, Netflix CEO, on his company s rivalry with HBO. Netflix has been going after HBO for years, and its efforts are paying off.
The New York Times takes a look at Netflix s big bet on exclusive programming, which the company cited as a factor in its better-than-expected rise in subscribers in the first quarter. Netflix, which now has more than 62 million subscribers worldwide, is attracting customers with shows such as the award-winning House of Cards, and Daredevil, its 17th original series. The NYT notes that Netflix is planning 320 hours of original programming this year, about three times what it offered last year.
HBO has also had Netflix in its sights. It s not just fighting back with shows of its own, it s following in Netflix s tech footsteps with a standalone streaming service. HBO Now launched earlier this month, offering customers HBO without a cable subscription.
Photo: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings (Patrick Tehan/Mercury News)
