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Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wasn't specific in terms of numbers about the financial impact of the simultaneous, exclusive release of 13 "House of Cards" episodes last quarter, but he is doubling down on original content.

"We are focused on moving toward more and more exclusive content," Hastings said Monday during Netflix's first-quarter earnings call. "If the content is not exclusive and it's on cable and on other services, it might be pleasant to watch on Netflix, but it's not really reinforcing customers to stay with Netflix."

Competitors, including Amazon and … Read more

Last week, lucky University of Wisconsin-Madison students (and staff) had a chance to hear the "Game of Thrones" theme song in a performance style uncommon to this century -- through the expertise of a carillonneur commanding the sheer musical might of 56 bells. … Read more

We might get to see winter come and go on the continent of Westeros, after all. Despite all appearances on Sunday's season premiere of the HBO hit "Game of Thrones," things are just beginning to heat up beyond The Wall, as well as in Winterfell, King's Landing, and the rest of the world created by George R.R. Martin in his series of novels and adapted for TV by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

Just two days after the premiere of season three of the TV version, Entertainment Weekly reports that HBO has ordered a fourth season of "Game of Thrones," which drew 4.4 million viewers on Sunday (not including the million pirated downloads). With those kind of numbers on a subscription channel like HBO, the reaction to the network's decision to renew the series has resulted in one of the largest collective utterances of "well, duh" ever heard.… Read more

I realize "three-deal Tuesday" isn't nearly as alliteratively pleasing as "tablet Tuesday," but when you've got three deals to share, well, alliteration be damned! That's right, I said it. (Good lord, I think I have a problem. I may need Alliteration Anonymous.)

Anyway, let's get down to business...

1. Tablet Tuesday. Today only, and while supplies last, Woot has the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7-inch Android tablet for $169.99, plus $5 for shipping. It's new, not refurbished, and it comes with a bunch of extras.

Specifically, an accessory kit that … Read more

Now Google is making a smartwatch.

You didn't think Google was going to sit the smartwatch party out, did you? Since the Pebble watch made a splash at CES, we've gotten word that both Apple and Samsung are busy working on wearable tech that will talk to our mobile phones. It should come as no surprise then to find out that Google is now exploring the market with a watch based off its Android operating system. There's no date on when to expect these watches, but for now you can read reviews of ones that have already … Read more

HBO could be considering a new way to get its streaming service, HBO Go, to customers.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview published yesterday, HBO Chief Executive Richard Plepler said that his company is mulling the possibility of offering HBO Go to cable provider customers who don't pay for TV service. Customers who don't pay for television service could pay an extra $10 or $15 per month for access to HBO's programming through HBO Go, broadening the streaming service's scope.

HBO's paid cable network has nearly 30 million subscribers. However, the company's streaming offering … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--For the record, although "Game of Thrones" is said to have perhaps the largest cast in television history, Craig Newmark is not on the hit HBO show.

Which raises the question: Why was the founder of Craigslist making his way down the red carpet rope line at the "Game of Thrones" season three premiere here last night?

In contrast to the real premiere, held a night earlier in Los Angeles, the event here was filled to brimming with the best and brightest in the world of technology. Twitter employees were abundant, some sporting shirts with … Read more

I cut the cord years ago. My wife sat across from me on the sofa and finally convinced me that paying well over $100 a month for the privilege of a bunch of random cable channels wasn't worth it. We could save money, learn to live lower to the ground, read more, and watch TV shows and movies on demand. Netflix, Hulu Plus, and iTunes. I agreed. With apprehension.

It worked. We relaxed, we used an over-the-air antenna, we caught our TV shows on broadcast networks and just sat through commercials. I even borrowed an old DTV Pal DVR … Read more

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- The Valve Steam Box is coming.

- How HBO will tackle "Game of Thrones" piracy.

- The Last of Us has a unique plotline with clicking mushroom people.… Read more