Cable Companies Claim iPads Are TVs

Brace yourselves, because you might start rooting for the cable companies on this one, and I know how shocking that could be for some of you. In a series of statements, different cable providers are arguing that iPads and other devices are essentially TVs and that they, the cable cos, can distribute content to them under existing agreements.

At issue are apps and alternative viewing methods provided by the cable companies to their users. For instance, Time Warner Cable (until recently) allowed users to view TV content via an app. It’s these non-traditional viewing methods that are under attack, and that cable companies are desperate to defend in order to keep you, the little guy, from throwing out your set-top-box and blissfully watching Netflix and/or Hulu until the cows come home.

Though I am loath to say it, having more options to view content does diversify the streaming video marketplace, giving customers lots of options. Moreover, it makes purchasing cable through providers a little more worthwhile, since you can get the content you’re paying for whenever you want. But deeper still, this seems to show how scared cable companies are of services like Hulu, and how real competition in the video space actually is making it a more dynamic marketplace.

(via Broadband Convergent, image via Steve Rider)

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Max Eddy