Video streaming outfit Netflix Inc (NASDAQ:NFLX) is hooking up with wireless carrier T-Mobile US Inc (NASDAQ:TMUS).
T-Mobile said it would offer the basic Netflix service as part of its unlimited data family plans. The third largest wireless carrier in the US as measured by subscribers, will begin offering the service from 12 September.
T-Mobile customers that are already Netflix subscribers will have their Netflix subscription fees reimbursed – at least for a while.
Free Netflix from T-Mobile: What you need to know https://t.co/QLLKnQXdpB pic.twitter.com/8dZxqqsz7z
— Saara Leon (@saara_leon) September 7, 2017
The collaboration is all part of the shifting sands in the media world, with content providers looking to by-pass delivery firms such as Netflix while the streaming services are busy creating their own exclusive content.
Streaming device maker Roku is getting in on the game, announcing it will have a content channel on its own platform; hitherto, the company has hosted content provided by others, such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu.
Roku’s new streaming channel will feature a collection of Hollywood films, and will be a free service, supported by advertising.
Roku launches its own channel featuring free, ad-supported movies https://t.co/MAgRdKVtG5 pic.twitter.com/4UaMR9NvZS
— TechCrunch (@TechCrunch) September 7, 2017
Roku claims it wants to make watching ad-supported movies less painful than on other streaming services or traditional TV, where the adverts can often seem longer than the films.
“You’ll find quality films such as Ali, The Karate Kid, Legally Blonde, and many others from leading studios including Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Brothers among others. The Roku Channel also features a broad selection of free entertainment from existing Roku channel publishers such as American Classics, FilmRise, Popcornflix, Vidmark and YuYu (and others over time),” the company said on its blog.