As telecom industry evolves, success of Netflix is its biggest threat

The more that consumers embrace the movies-at-home ethos of Netflix, the more uncomfortable major players in the entertainment industry have become.

Now Netflix, a secretive company known more for the laid-back attitude of its founder than for sharp elbows, has emerged at the center of a titanic clash over the future of television. Because if Netflix can bring movies straight into your living room through the Internet, it can bring a full slate of TV shows, too. Pretty soon, who needs cable? On the other hand, if cable companies can bring you movies and TV directly over high-speed Internet lines, who needs Netflix? Multibillion-dollar corporations are fretting over those questions and fighting to influence the outcome.