Life After Netflix: For Original Shows, Streaming Is Just the First Stop

Netflix and its video-streaming rivals are pouring millions into exclusive original shows in a bid to compete with cable-TV’s edgiest channels—HBO, AMC, Showtime—as must-have entertainment services. But while Orange Is the New Black has started its life as a streaming original on Netflix, that won’t be the end of the line for the prison comedy. Television programs are commodities bound to be sold and resold, from international rights to DVD to broadcast syndication.

Most of these originals premiering on Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon aren’t owned by those companies, and the producers of the shows are in a bit of bind when it comes time to license subsequent rights. How can content owners and potential buyers gauge any show’s popularity—and its value in the market—when the streaming services don’t share what one TV executive calls “near-perfect data” on audience viewing habits? There’s not yet a Nielsen ratings equivalent in the digital-video realm. The lack of clear precedent or audience data leaves producers, distributors, and buyers largely in the dark as streaming companies open their wallets to obtain more shows.