Netflix (NFLX -3.92%) airs a handful of original shows, including Emmy winner House of Cards and future awards favorite Orange Is the New Black. But the streaming video veteran doesn't actually produce these shows in-house, preferring to farm that work out to specialists in the field.
Many Netflix skeptics see this outsourcing model as a sign of weakness, doomed to long-term failure. But is that really true?
In the video below, Fool contributor Anders Bylund explains how AMC Networks (AMCX -0.60%) and Time Warner's (TWX) HBO actually follow the same model in many cases. Lions Gate (LGF-A -0.09%) and Sony (SONY 1.10%) may not own any American distribution networks, but they're more than happy to create high-quality content like Breaking Bad or Mad Men for others to distribute. Netflix simply follows a tried-and-true industry practice here.
