US: As Intel looks to enter online TV market, cable cos get defensive

Intel is reportedly looking to break into the online television business as reports announced the company’s plans to launch its Intel TV product sometime this year. But the plans are meeting much resistance from cable companies, who have recently turned to defending their practices of bundling hundreds of television channels in one package. For at least a year the US Department of Justice has been looking into the cable giants’ practices and, just this week, executives from Charter Communications and Warner Cable have publically supported their companies. According to Charter’s chief financial officer Chris Winfrey, it is in the consumer’s best interest for cable companies to maintain “the ecosystem” of how television is delivered to consumers. But as the cable companies continue to face scrutiny, they are also forced to fight the threat of companies streaming television online through banning programmers from providing content to online services. One such online service could be Intel’s new product, though as of yet it has not found sufficient programming to launch. If successful, reports say companies like Google and Apple could soon follow suit, changing the television landscape indefinitely.