The streaming market is evolving at a fairly rapid clip, and things will be heating up for both Netflix (NFLX 9.71%) and its competition in the coming weeks. This may be the time of year when the major networks begin winding down their prime-time seasons ahead of the summer doldrums, but it's an entirely different world in the streaming space. Let's go over a few of the dates that investors may want to keep an eye on as they size up Netflix's prospects.
May 20
Tracking investor conference presentations is an underrated way to get a leg up on fellow investors. Company executives often provide some keen insight that isn't widely reported elsewhere. Thankfully, many companies stream these presentations so investors can check them out without having to be in attendance. Netflix CFO David Wells speaks at the J.P. Morgan Technology, Media and Telecom Conference tomorrow morning.
May 21
Amazon.com (AMZN +0.34%) will take a big step up in the food chain on Wednesday when it begins streaming select content from premium movie channel HBO. We're talking about entire runs of classics including The Sopranos and The Wire as well as older seasons of some current shows. They will be available to Amazon Prime members at no additional cost through Prime Instant. This will be a big season for original content coming to streaming providers, but the HBO licensing deal with Amazon is too juicy to ignore.
May 23
Amazon recently announced the availability dates for three kids shows that will make Amazon's Prime Instant their exclusive home in the coming weeks. The first show is Tumble Leaf, an animated series geared toward preschool kids. Netflix has already started introducing proprietary kid-friendly content, but the market's ripe for the first platform to score a big hit with young families.
May 30
The first season of Ricky Gervais' Derek wasn't a smash hit for Netflix. It could be that it had already aired on BBC, but we can't dismiss the controversy stirred up given the dim-witted lead character and accusations that the show was making fun of the mentally challenged. Notoriety aside, Netflix is rolling out the second season of the show later this month.
June 6
Original content on streaming sites wasn't a big deal until Netflix hit with House of Cards and the revival of Arrested Development. Another big draw for Netflix was last year's Orange Is the New Black, and it returns next month for its second season.
July 15
It's not just Amazon and Netflix getting in on the original programming fun. Hulu -- now with more than 6 million paying Hulu Plus subscribers -- has also been establishing itself as a hub for first-run entertainment. One of the more intriguing shows on its slate is The Hotwives of Orlando, a reality show parody starring The Office's Angela Kinsey and Happy Endings' Casey Wilson. It makes its debut on July 15, adding one more streaming show to track this summer.
