Kevin Spacey: 37 seasons of 'House of Cards', anyone?
The star of the Netflix series says that video streaming services have forever changed the relationship between the audience and the television they watch.
Editors' note: The original version of this article appeared on our sister site CNET en Español.
Kevin Spacey was late to the meeting, about 15 minutes after the 3:15 appointment. He wasn't late because his wristwatch was set on London time, but because it was a hectic day. On Tuesday, Spacey and his co-stars in Netflix's political thriller "House of Cards" were on hand during a press junket in Manhattan to speak about the show's second season, which will premiere Feb. 14. Netflix has also confirmed that there will be a third season consisting of 13 episodes.
Spacey, who plays the role of the ambitious -- and devious -- Frank Underwood, spoke not only about the new season, but also about the changes in the business of television and of the creative process of working for a show originally conceived to be streamed and not one thought of for so-called "traditional media."
And while the conversation revolved mostly around the Shakespearean complexity of his character and the motivations behind Underwood's mischief, Spacey confessed to CNET en español that while his character speaks, chats, and even sexts on a BlackBerry, the actor actually owns an iPhone 5.
A two-time Oscar winner, Spacey is also a producer of "House of Cards" and just like Netflix doesn't disclose how many people watch the series or any of its originals, but said that -- according to the numbers he has seen -- "'House of Cards' is the most-watched show in the history of Netflix in every country that Netflix is in." He did shed some light on how video streaming services have forever changed the relationship between the audience and the television they watch. While he doubts everybody now binge-watches television shows, he concedes that business models are changing and have changed for quite some time now. "I think that maybe the days of appointment viewing are behind us."
In this context, Spacey also expressed his doubts around the current methods to measure television audiences. "Do you really, genuinely think that 20,000 boxes on televisions represent 500,000 people across the country? Of course not. And someday we'll actually know the numbers, and it will change advertising rates."
Asked by a reporter about how many seasons he thinks "House of Cards" can be extended to, Spacey didn't take long to reply, if jokingly, but in a serious tone: 37.
The second season of "House of Cards" will be available in 4K and will run for 13 episodes.
CNET en espanol's Laura Martinez wrote this article.