News Summary: Original Netflix show starts in Feb.

News Summary: Netflix tackles original programming with 'House of Cards,' streaming in Feb.

ITS OWN "SOPRANOS": Netflix's ambitious bid for a flagship original drama of its own, "House of Cards," is an adaptation of a British political thriller.

COMING SOON: The entire first season of "House of Cards" — 13 hours — will start streaming on Netflix on Feb. 1. The online video and DVD-by-mail company reportedly paid about $100 million for two seasons of the HBO-style show, which stars Kevin Spacey and was produced by the Academy Award-nominated director David Fincher.

TURNING POINT: The show could herald the transition of television away from pricey cable bundles and toward the Internet.