Netflix to become real TV and get its own ‘cable channel’

Netflix has reached an agreement with three cable companies that, for the first time, will let US subscribers watch the streaming video service as though it were an ordinary cable channel. The deal will add Netflix as an app to certain set-top boxes nationwide on RCN, Grande Communications and Atlantic Broadband.

It gives subscribers of those companies the ability to watch all the same Netflix content they would otherwise be able to get on their PCs, tablets and phones. Altogether, the agreement covers as many as 500,000 of the cable firms' existing subscribers -- though that figure could grow as more customers sign up for the offering. The offer is limited to those who are both a customer of the three cable companies and a subscriber to Netflix. In addition, the technology requires a cable-provided TiVo box. Although consumers can currently buy TiVos from retail stores that come with the Netflix app, until now cable-provided boxes lacked the Netflix functionality. In order to make the deal possible, Netflix said it had to negotiate with some of its content partners to allow streaming on cable boxes. All Americans with service from one of the three cable companies will be eligible for the offering beginning April 28, company officials said.