(MENAFN- Arab Times) LOS ANGELES Aug 23 (Agencies): Even if it doesn't take home any of the major trophies at Monday's Emmy Awards Netflix will have already proven itself the top winner in one regard: Internet programming. It's a position that Microsoft Amazon and Hulu would all like to hold. But with series such as 'House of Cards' and 'Orange is The New Black' up for major awards and millions of Internet users at its backing Netflix seems unlikely to budge anytime soon. Already this year the California-based company founded in 2007 reported that its subscribers topped 50 million in more than 40 countries. And in a July earnings report the streaming titan said its profit had jumped to $71 million compared to $29.5 million in the same quarter a year before. Jon Taplin professor of Digital Entertainment Media at the University of Southern California said Netflix's power 'comes from its subscriber base. They pay almost $10 a month.' 'That's a gigantic amount of cash flow which then is spent on programming on buying content and making new content' he said. Netflix's original programming includes 'Orange is The New Black' a wildly-popular women's prison 'dramedy' nominated for best comedy and which also earned nominations for five cast members. Political drama 'House of Cards' meanwhile is up for best drama and earned actor nominations for star Kevin Spacey as a scheming congressman and co-star Robin Wright as his wife. The show had aimed to become the first online-only series to win in major categories at last year's Emmys but only took home a prize for best directing for David Fincher. Offers In addition to its original programming Netflix offers major movies and TV series which it streams in agreement with US entertainment studios. That means subscribers can watch the likes of 'Breaking Bad' 'How I Met Your Mother' and 'Law & Order' on the platform as well. Netflix's success is in large part due to its format which caters to the lifestyles and habits of consumers many of them younger who demand more flexibility and who use devices such as tablets and smartphones. Instead of posting its original shows in weekly installments like television does Netflix releases entire seasons all at once. It's a strategy online retail giant Amazon has attempted to imitate with its original series 'Alpha House' about US senators who room together in the nation's capital and 'Betas' a show about app developers searching for an investor. 'Amazon's beginnings in this space were very problematic. Now they've reconsidered doing it differently and they hired somebody who's made TV before' said Taplin. The online retailer is now working on six new original-programming projects including one starring Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal. But it's Hulu that has established itself as the most serious competitor thus far after a large publicity campaign. Its original series about Latino adolescents 'East Los High' opened a door for the streaming service to the vast Latino market in the United States. Microsoft for its part is planning its own original programming to be distributed through its Xbox One console. A series spun from blockbuster science-fiction battle franchise 'Halo' will be produced by director Steven Spielberg. 'Games have been part of our DNA for at least the last 15 years and creating original TV content is a logical next step in our evolution' executive vice president of Xbox Entertainment Studios Jordan Levin said in a release. Also: LOS ANGELES: Watch your head! Twitter will debut a zip-line camera feed for the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards this Monday featuring footage from the red carpet and preshow among other Internet tie-ins for next week's kudocast. NBC is airing the Emmys live Aug 25 (8-11 pm. Eastern) under its deal with the Television Academy. Marietta Sirleaf ('Retta' from NBC's 'Parks and Recreation') will be Twitter's official live-tweet correspondent from the Emmy red carpet and inside the show. Meanwhile Facebook battling with Twitter for social TV primacy will feature its 'Mentions' box on the Emmys red carpet as well. The zip-line video footage will be featured on NBC's Twitter account and the syndicated 'Access Hollywood' program. In addition part of E!'s 'Live From the Red Carpet' coverage will be viewable online at Eonline.com and on air and NBC's 'Today' show will have a Vine '360-station' to capture video content that will be published to the 'Today' social accounts. The 66th Emmy Awards produced by Don Mischer Prods. will be hosted by Seth Meyers. LOS ANGELES: Hulu has acquired exclusive streaming rights to the first season of Fox's Emmy-nominated series 'Sleepy Hollow' available to subscribers of the company's $7.99-per-month subscription service. As of Friday Hulu Plus is the exclusive home the entire first season of 'Sleepy Hollow' season one ahead of its season 2 premiere Sept 22 on Fox. In addition Hulu Plus subscribers will have day-after-air access to new episodes of the second season of 'Sleepy Hollow' after their broadcast on Fox. In addition the free Hulu.com service will have a selection of up to five episodes available to stream. 'Sleepy Hollow' is a mystery-adventure drama series spanning 250 years in which a resurrected Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) teams with a present-day police lieutenant (Nicole Beharie) to save the town of Sleepy Hollow and by the way the rest of the world from unprecedented evil. Series is produced by K/O Paper Products in association with 20th Century Fox Television. 'Sleepy Hollow' is co-created by Alex Kurtzman Roberto Orci Phillip Iscove and Len Wiseman ('Hawaii Five-0' 'Underworld' 'Total Recall') and executive produced by Kurtzman Orci Wiseman Mark Goffman Ken Olin and Heather Kadin. Iscove serves as supervising producer. Hulu is a joint venture of 21st Century Fox Disney and NBCUniversal. According to execs at Hulu the JV does not receive preferential treatment in negotiations for streaming rights to properties controlled by its parent companies.
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