Netflix eyes more video-streaming agreements
Video Business
By Danny King -- Video Business, 11/13/2008 9:38:00 PM
Netflix hired former Macrovision Solutions executive Greg Peters to help secure agreements that will broaden the range of electronics components allowing Netflix's titles to be video-streamed directly to TVs.Peters, who will fill the newly created position of VP of partner product development, will report to Netflix chief product officer Neil Hunt, the company said today in a statement.
"Greg's expertise in all aspects of the product development lifecycle—from vision to design to implementation—will be a significant asset to Netflix and our partners as we push toward our goal of eventually enabling all U.S. households to stream Netflix to their TVs," Hunt said in the statement.
Netflix, the largest U.S. movie-rental service via mail, has been trying to boost subscribers by augmenting its by-mail offering with an expanded inventory of titles through its streaming service and partnering with component makers to allow the service to be accessed directly from TV sets. Since last month, Netflix has agreed to have its titles streamed through TiVo digital video recorders and Samsung Blu-ray Disc players.
In May, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said products such as Netflix Player by Roku, the set-top box introduced that month that allows streaming of its 12,000 digital titles directly to TVs, would double the company’s subscriber base within a decade. Since then, the company also has announced agreements to carry video-streaming content from Liberty Media's Starz movie channel, Walt Disney's Disney Channel and CBS.
Peters previously worked for Red Hat, which distributes open-source software Linux, and home entertainment software maker Mediabolic before the company was acquired by digital content distributor Macrovision last year, Netflix said.
