Netflix and Comcast Corp. resolved long-standing differences Sunday in an agreement that will drastically improve Netflix video streaming into millions of homes, company officials said.
Netflix will now connect directly to Comcast’s broadband network in dozens of locations around the nation instead of streaming its movies and TV content through third-party Internet content-delivery companies that some believe were expensive for Netflix and degraded its service. Comcast is the nation’s largest residential Internet service provider, serving 19 million users.
The Comcast-Netflix arrangement could help Comcast politically in Washington as it seeks regulatory approval of its planned $45.2 billion merger with Time Warner Cable Inc.
Netflix has directly connected its servers loaded with Netflix entertainment content to Comcast’s network in about five locations and that number will increase significantly in coming weeks, which should lead to an “optimized Netflix experience,” sources close to the deal said. Netflix’s video streaming can account for 30 percent of the traffic on the Internet during peak.
Netflix is reportedly negotiating with other Internet service providers, such as Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc., over how to flawlessly deliver its content over the Internet.
Critics have said the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger, if approved by federal and state regulators, would consolidate Comcast’s power in the residential Internet market and threaten online companies such as Netflix. Comcast could interrupt or slow Netflix’s streaming of entertainment content to protect its legacy cable-TV business, critics have said. Mark Cooper of the Consumer Federation of America said Comcast could be a “choke point” for online streaming companies.
The new Netflix arrangement is similar, Comcast officials said, to arrangements the huge telecommunications provider has with YouTube, Hulu and Amazon Prime.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
-
College
College roundup: Official injured at end of Rutgers-Michigan State women’s game
-
Times Record Opinion
Commentary: Many Black Americans aren’t rushing to get the COVID-19 vaccine – a long history of medical abuse suggests why
-
Nation & World
Manhattan prosecutor gets Trump tax records after long fight
-
Times Record
Police: Sabattus man who allegedly caused crash before fleeing and was chased by the other driver
-
Boston Celtics
Ainge says Celtics are ‘playing terribly. We don’t have a good enough team, in my opinion’
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi {SUB NAME}, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have one? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login to participate in the conversation. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.