As Netflix ramps up its efforts to produce more original series to entice people into subscribing to its video streaming service, a study done by TiVo's research firm finds no significant difference between the amount of TV watched by people with a subscription to Netflix and those who do not.
What this means, is that its efforts to produce original content like "House of Cards" and "Hemlock Grove" are simply not working, despite their critical acclaim.
When look at traditional TV viewing behaviors, TiVo Research and Analytics found that the amount of viewing between housholds with a Netflix account and those without was largely the same.
"Our data show that Netflix is not currently a substitute for traditional television, but offers a way for TV lovers to watch more of the kinds of programs they love," said Mark Lieberman, chief of the TiVo research unit.
Believe it or not, this is good news for Netflix who feared its push toward original content would steal ratings and upset some of the content creators it relies on for the bulk of its video library. At this early stage in Netflix's original series being on par with regular television viewers might just be the exact perfect place for it to be.
While this all seems very convenient for all the parties involved, CNET points out this study was done in May, just before Netflix debuted its re-release of Fox's cult hit "Arrested Development" and its current earner from "Weeds" creator Jenji Kohan, "Orange is the New Black." It's unclear what impact these shows had on Netflix's toll in the viewership race.
Netflix has been taking most of its original programming queues from HBO sporting really heavy dramas and adult comedies and the like for viewers to "binge watch" all at once. While it's a unique strategy only made possible by a service that lets viewers watch a series on-demand at their own leisure, it's apparently keeping Netflix competitive.
