House of Cards coming to Foxtel in May

The hit Netflix original series House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey, will be on the Showcase channel and Foxtel On Demand from 7 May.

House of Cards was the second original series produced by Netflix (the first being Lillyhammer), and its combination of taut political drama and big-name stars proved successful for the video-on-demand service.

However, for countries without Netflix access — such as Australia — the question has been "when we will be able to watch this?" It seems that Foxtel now has the answer: 7 May.

House of Cards will have a three-hour premiere marathon on the Showcase channel, and will continue every Tuesday at 8.30pm AEST. However, Foxtel will also follow the Netflix model, and all 13 episodes will be available on Foxtel On Demand from 8.30pm AEST on 7 May.

In a media statement, Brian Walsh, Foxtel executive director of Television, said:

The Netflix strategy for the House of Cards release recognises the online audience is hungry for content to watch either all at once, or at a time that suits them. By offering the complete first season to our own online customers on Foxtel Go and On Demand, we are providing Australian audiences an alternative to broadcast viewing and giving them the option to watch the entire series when they like.

Foxtel iQ customers with a net-connected set-top unit and a Showcase subscription will be able to download the whole series on demand and watch it when it suits them. The season is also available for Foxtel Go, Foxtel on Xbox 360, Foxtel on Internet TV and Foxtel On Demand customers who subscribe to the Showcase channel.