The Emmy ceremony sets the tone in the TV industry, which is why Netflix just made history, winning three Emmys for House of Cards with Kevin Spacey in the lead role. The Emmy wins also validate the online streaming model.

Netflix wins 3 Emmys, validates online TV
15 years ago, HBO's The Sopranos was the first cable TV series that was nominated for a “best drama” Emmy. Back then the industry did not believe that the cable TV networks could match the broadcast networks in the drama category. With the nominations, HBO and cable TV paved the way for a golden age in television.

Today, 15 years after, Netflix’s House of Cards can do the same for the online TV model that many consumers still associate with bad-quality YouTube clips, poor picture and sound quality, and iPad/PC watching. Netflix’s House of Cards with Kevin Spaces is the first online-only show to win Emmy awards.


House of Cards with Kevin Spacey has won 3 Emmys

Netflix’s original TV series were nominated for a total of 14 Emmys, 9 for House of Cards. House of Cards won three Emmys in the "best director" (David Fincher), "outstanding casting", and "outstanding cinematography" categories. House of Cards was also nominated in "best drama", but did not win. There is still a chance to run away with the big award at next year’s show, when season two hits Netflix. Breaking Bad won "best drama".

Netflix released its first original TV series this year, which actually was House of Cards. They later went on to release Hemlock Grove, Arrested Development, Orange is the New Black, and Derek. Netflix expects to release 10 new original TV series in 2014, including TV series based on DreamWorks characters.

Kevin Spacey talks about a new golden age
With House of Cards, Netflix challenged the established TV players in the industry, and did some things very differently, which has led to criticism from veterans. Netflix immediately funded two seasons of House of Cards, instead of running a “pilot” of the first episode. They also released the entire first season of the show on day 1, which sent chills through the TV industry. Consumers on the other hand have fully embraces the concept. It even has a name; "binge watching".

In August, Kevin Spacey was invited to speak at the James MacTaggart conference. He gave a speech that will probably go down in history. Based on House of Cards and Netflix’s model, Spacey argues that the industry should listen to consumers and "give people what they want, when they want it, in the form they want it in, at a reasonable price". He also argues that the industry should not be afraid of the smaller screens in iPads and PCs. Watch the speech below. We highly recommend it.