Cable Is Finally Starting To Play Nice With Netflix And Hulu

Ever since Netflix transitioned from a niche subscription to a must-have streaming service, the question of how streaming will affect cable has haunted the television industry. Now it seems as though the battle between cable and streaming is approaching a truce. According to a report from AdAge, it seems that two of the biggest U.S. cable operations, Comcast and Charter Communications, are considering offering Hulu’s on-demand service though their setup boxes.

According to people familiar with these talks, the addition of Hulu would be similar to Comcast and Charter’s Netflix options. At present the two cable companies already offer Netflix, YouTube, and Sling TV (which is owned by Dish Network Corp) as optional channels through their platforms. Whereas TV and cable used to be defined by rigorously divided channels, many cable companies have embraced a more seamless set-up that makes it easy for subscribers to watch shows across all platforms. Additionally, Comcast already allows subscribers to search Netflix, YouTube, and Sling TV using its voice-operated search option. The Hulu add-on would follow this format.

“That’s the biggest role of a distributor—how we’re able to offer all these choices on one platform,” Comcast executive VP Matt Strauss said in September. “To a customer, these are just choices and you shouldn’t have to switch inputs or figure out how to get to that choice.”

AdAge reports that Charter plans on adding Netflix to an interface that combines web video. The fourth-largest cable provider in the United States, Altice USA, is also in talks for a Netflix add-on. All of these additions tell the same story over and over again — cable companies are slowly learning that they can no longer ignore streaming. It’s unclear if that definitely means streaming is winning its battle with cable, but just the fact it’s a fight is impressive.

It’s also a move that speaks to cable’s struggles over the past few years. According to the same report form AdAge, Comcast lost 125,000 cable customers last year, and Charter lost 104,000 customers. Cable’s cheaper, on-demand rivals are causing the institution to struggle, but rather than fight, we’re starting to enter an era where these companies have decided to play nicely. Comcast already owns part of Hulu along with The Disney Company, 21st Century Fox, and Time Warner, so this addition makes sense. Hulu’s main rival, Netflix, has also been more friendly with cable as of late. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings addressed the company’s distribution deal with Comcast inn September. Though he has said he thought it would be unlikely the deal would boost Netflix’s subscribers, Hastings noted it would increase Netflix’s word-of-mouth and make the service easier to use.

At the moment, the name of this TV game is compromise. Only time will tell how long that will last. You can read the full AdAge story here.