Time Warner Planning to Bring Online Video to TV Sets

June 9, 2008

At the Sanford C. Bernstein Strategic Decision Conference in New York, Time Warner Cable chairman and CEO Glenn Britt reported that the company is planning to bring internet video to the television screens of its subscribers.

Time Warner Cable to Offer Web-to-TV Service

Details were minimal, but Time Warner Cable is working on a wireless cable modem that will make it easier for customers to enjoy Internet offerings on their television sets via their broadband connection. It will also allow them to network everything in their homes including personal computers, handheld devices, and game consoles. The time frame is not exact but Britt estimated the service would be available “soon,” possibly within one to two years.

Cable Subscribers to Watch Internet Content on TV Screens

Viewing online content on televisions is not new and is already available through Apple TV and TiVO, but many more consumers could utilize the service if it is offered by mainstream cable providers. There is some opinion that when the technology is perfected the Web-to-TV procedure will be simplified for cable customers; and there is also a hopeful anticipation that the quality of the picture will be improved.

Less than a week before the conference, Verizon had announced its intention to obtain approval to add Internet-to-television services to its line of products by passing the first regulatory steps required.

Time Warner Cable Soon to be Separated from Time Warner, Inc.

Recently, the boards of directors of Time Warner Inc. and Time Warner Cable announced they had reached an agreement to completely separate the companies both legally and structurally by year-end.