NETFLIX talkin’ to CABLE COMPANIES about getting THEIR SERVICE ON SET-TOP BOXES.
Maybe I’m missing something. But doesn’t Netflix want to fucking katana cable companies in the fucking neck? So why would any cable company sign-on to having the service rocketing through the pipes of their set-top boxes? Is it a money truck that Netflix would back up? Can I ask any more rhetorical questions? Can I?
Netflix is in talks with several US cable companies with the aim of making its video streaming app available on set-top boxes, according to The Wall Street Journal. The report says that Netflix’s discussions with US operators, including Comcast and Suddenlink, are at an early stage with no deal expected soon. Last month the UK’s Virgin Media became the first cable operator to offer Netflix to its customers; companies in the US have so far been reluctant to embrace streaming services, seeing the technology as broadly competitive with their traditional content offerings.
One reported sticking point in the negotiations is that Netflix is pushing for the cable companies to adopt its Open Connect content delivery network, which it argues will provide the best streaming quality. Previously Netflix had restricted 3D and what it calls “Super HD” content, which requires a higher bitrate, to internet service providers that participated in the Open Connect initiative, but Time Warner Cable argued that its network was “more than capable of delivering this content to Netflix subscribers.” Netflix later opened up Super HD streaming to all ISPs.