I think my hope is that HBO sticks with the TV "style" - weekly episodes that drop at specific times - while Netflix keeps going with their "new bag of tricks"

I think my hope is that HBO sticks with the TV "style" - weekly episodes that drop at specific times - while Netflix keeps going with their "new bag of tricks" (binge!). Diversity is really good, and both of these methods bring something special to the table. Specifically - You're spot on with Netflix's limited audience appeal per show, and making the work. What HBO really brings to the table is a show that EVERYONE talks about - and by releasing it on a TV-style schedule, we all have time to talk about it. GoT was as much about all the hubub (re: watching twitter when readers knew Red Wedding was coming, and viewers didn't...) as the show itself. As much as I love Netflix shows, you don't "bond at the watercooler" over them nearly as much, since you have to worry about where someone is in the plot progression, and by the time we've both seen it, the moment has passed. I tell people to go watch Netflix shows, but I talk with people about HBO.