CANNES – If its pitchmen are to be believed, House of Cards, the first drama series
commissioned by VOD service Netflix, is the future of TV.

Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, who star in the modern-day political drama, flew
into Cannes to hype the series, which Media Rights Capital is producing and Sony
Pictures Television is selling worldwide. Sony screened the first two episodes
of House of Cards to international buyers. Netflix will put all 13 episodes of the first
season online at once in February.

With a budget north of $100 million for the two, 13-episode seasons commissioned
by Netflix and with David Fincher on board as an executive producer – and director
of the first two episodes – House of Cards has the potential to either be a game
changer for the VOD business or a costly mistake for Netflix and its partners. The series is based on a BBC show of the same name from the 1990s which starred Ian
Richardson as an ambitious and ruthless British politician.

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