Netflix could be coming to a cable box near you.
The company revealed that it had struck a deal with three cable companies, CN Communications, Atlantic Broadband and Grande Communications, to make its streaming service available on TiVo DVRs.
Why is this a big deal? Netflix had never made its service available to U.S. cable companies before. (Netflix does have similar deals in the U.K.). Despite all of the worry in the industry about “cord-cutters” abandoning cable for Netflix, it looks like the two are finding ways to coexist and possibly profit from each other.
Together, the three cable companies have around 700,000 subscribers. TV watchers will need an existing Netflix subscription to stream licensed movies and original content like "House of Cards" straight to their TiVo DVRs.
Other cable companies are also experimenting with streaming services. Earlier this week, Time Warner Cable announced it was making its service compatible with Fan TV, a set-top box launched last summer. It gives cable subscribers access to Redbox Instant by Verizon, Rhapsody and other services, but not Netflix — at least for now. More streaming services, Fan TV said, would be added "over time."
