Will Netflix Kill Ratings For Pay Cable?

The launch of Netflix’s first original series positions the company right where it wants to be – competing against pay cable companies like HBO, Showtime and Starz.

But whether Lilyhammer becomes a hit for Netflix or falls flat, don’t expect the streaming video company to honor one very time-honored TV practice: disclosure about the show’s viewership. Netflix has said that it will not make any announcement about the audience for Lilyhammer, which has eight episodes, all of which are debuting on Netflix simultaneously. And with pay-cable rivals like HBO stating their own discomfort with so-called “overnight” ratings in an increasingly fragmented viewing world, it could be only a matter of time before they follow Netflix’s lead.