SAN FRANCISCO — Netflix Inc. is trying to buy the Internet streaming rights to a 26-episode drama starring Kevin Spacey before the series is shown on a television network.
If the deal is completed, it would mark a bold step in a new direction for Netflix’s popular video subscription service. Netflix currently boasts more than 20,000 titles in its streaming library, but most of them are previously aired TV series and older movies.
The talks were reported earlier by Deadline.com. A person familiar with the talks yesterday confirmed Netflix’s interest in the series, called “House of Cards.’’ The person spoke on condition of anonymity because a deal hasn’t been reached.
Should it win rights to “House of Cards,’’ Netflix would emerge as an even more serious threat to pay-TV channels such as HBO. Netflix began the year with 20 million subscribers.
