Talent will go where they are given money and freedom, so it's quite possible for Netflix to compete with HBO etc if they provide enough money and enough freedo

Talent will go where they are given money and freedom, so it's quite possible for Netflix to compete with HBO etc if they provide enough money and enough freedom. Having said that, Netflix having 5 or 6 top-notch shows is no real threat to HBO, no more than AMC already having 3 or 4 top-notch shows is. As long as HBO has their handful of shows people want to see, they don't care if a few other distribution channels also have shows people want to see. It doesn't hurt them, not even a little. A case could be made that it even helps a bit in terms of raising the prestige of the medium. There's a definite sense right now that the real gems of Hollywood are on television rather than in the cinema. It's a golden age, of sorts. There are other factors as well, such as Mad Men sucking up AMC's money from other shows, that limit the threats the other networks can pose to them.