‘House of Cards’ is the most-watched thing on Netflix right now, says exec

It seems that the Super Bowl weekend debut of Netflix original series House of Cards didn’t take away from subscriber curiosity. The show currently the most-watched program on the streaming video service, according to Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos.

Sarandos, who spoke on stage at the D: Dive into Media conference today, didn’t share any specific audience numbers, saying that Netflix isn’t beholden to advertisers and really doesn’t have any need to disclose that kind of information. However, knowing House of Cards (which is produced by Media Rights Capital) is at the top of the pile is still pretty significant when you consider the thousands of movies and TV shows available to domestic Netflix subscribers — and the fact that Netflix subscribers collectively watch over a billion hours per month on the service.

“I don’t want to give ratings, because it is a real apples-to-oranges comparison with network ratings,” Sarandos said.

As people talk about the series over the next few month, Sarandos said he expects House of Cards to grow its audience over time.

There was also talk of Netflix’s next big original series debut, with resurrected sitcom Arrested Development. Along with Sarandos, Arrested Development creator Mitch Hurwitz spoke highly of the new season, saying: “In many ways, we are the poster child for Netflix…” and that the streaming service is ideal because it affords them a dedicated audience that pays closer attention to its brand of humor.

And since Arrested Development already has a built-in fan base, it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to hear that it becomes the most watched show during the month of May, which is when it’s scheduled to premiere on the streaming service.

Via The Verge