CES: Netflix reaches for remote in battle for Internet TV eyeballs
On display at the Consumer Electronics Show this week will be lots of new bells and whistles for televisions that are connected to the Web. Yet in the race for Web video eyeballs, Netflix says don't underestimate the all important clicker.
The Silicon Valley-based online video firm said Tuesday several consumer electronics companies have agreed to develop remote controls with a dedicated Netflix button for streaming video. This allows user to bypass menus and multiple clicks to get to Netflix streaming shows through game consoles, Blue Ray devices and Internet-enabled TVs.
The red "Netflix" button will appear on remote controls for Blu-ray disc players from Dynex, Haier, Panasonic, Samsung and Sony, starting this spring. The button will also be on remote controls for the Boxee, Iomega and Roku set-top boxes, Netflix said in a release.
"For members who want even more convenience when instantly watching TV shows and movies streaming from Netflix, the answer is about to be right in their hands," said Netflix chief product officer, Neil Hunt.
Netflix, with surging subscriber growth for streaming video, has caught the attention of the media and communications industries. The firm has advocated for Federal Communications Commission Internet access rules that would ensure a service like itself couldn't be slowed or blocked on an Internet service provider's network.
Reed Hastings, Netflix's CEO, will speak Friday evening at the CES Leadership in Technology dinner.
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Stay tuned: battle over Internet TV
By
Cecilia Kang
| January 4, 2011; 1:24 PM ET
Categories:
CES, Internet TV
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First!!!
Posted by: clifton3 | January 4, 2011 2:56 PM | Report abuse
Streaming netflix on the Xbox is awesome.
Posted by: ozpunk | January 4, 2011 5:18 PM | Report abuse
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