Comcast cuts House of Cards deal

US cable giant Comcast has acquired rights to sell season one of Netflix original House of Cards through its set-top boxes.

The deal with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment means the dark political drama will be available to Comcast set-top box customers with Xfinity TV to purchase or rent through the recently launched Xfinity On Demand digital store service.

Netflix exclusively launched the season last year and premiered a second on Valentines Day (February 14). Sony sells both the international TV and home entertainment rights to the Media Rights Capital-produced show.

Another Netflix original, Orange is the New Black, is also headed to the Xfinity On Demand service via a deal with Lionsgate Entertainment.

Comcast’s deal with SPHE also includes AMC’s Breaking Bad and Sony movies American Hustle, Captain Phillips, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, The Amazing Spider-Man and 21 Jump Street.

Xfinity On Demand launched in November and offers content from FOX, Lionsgate, subsidiary NBCUniversal and Warner Bros.

“The response to the digital store has been encouraging and tells us our customers love the flexibility and ease of purchasing content directly from Xfinity On Demand to watch when and where they want it,” said Comcast Cable’s senior VP, content acquisition Michael Schreiber.