Net flicks

摘要

"Power is a lot like real estate. It's all about location, location, location." So muses Frank Underwood, a scheming congressman played by the actor Kevin Spacey (pictured), in the pilot of "House of Cards", a new American series. Netflix, an online-video and dvd rental firm, shares that perspective. "House of Cards", an adaptation of a bbc mini-series, has big-name actors and a big budget (the first 26 episodes are thought to have cost more than $100m). But when the show premieres on February 1st, it will do so exclusively on Netflix, not cable or broadcast television.Creating original, high-end television shows for subscribers is a new tack for a firm, the main business of which is renting out and streaming other companies' content online. Others are following suit. Amazon, an online shopping mall that also offers a video-streaming service, has commissioned six television pilots, and has plans to develop films.