How long until every Internet-connected set-top gadget besides Apple TV can access Netflix's streaming movie service?
Netflix's (NFLX) newest streaming partner: TiVo (TIVO), whose subscribers with Series 3, TiVo HD, and TiVo HD XL digital video recorders -- and Netflix subscriptions -- will be able to access Netflix's library of 12,000 streaming movies and TV shows. The companies will start testing with "several thousand" U.S. households today and aim to make the service broadly available in early December.
It's hard to say whether this deal will move the needle much for either company. But deals like this are mutually beneficial: They'll make some existing customers happier, and might convince some new people to sign up for either or both services.