Intel seeks TV partner
September 27, 2013
Intel is getting cold feet about going it alone in the TV market and will probably miss its stated launch aim of the end of this year.
A report on Bloomberg, based on company leaks, says new CEO Brian Krzanich, who took over in May, is prioritising getting chips into mobiles. The company now thinks it needs a partner or partners for the TV business. Intel has no established consumer base and no content provision experience.
According to the report potential partners who have had discussions include Amazon, which runs LOVEFiLM, and TV set maker Samsung which is trying to establish its own smart TV and multiscreen ecosystem.
Intel has been working on a Web-based television product since at least early 2012. Erik Huggers, the former BBC iPlayer man who is general manager of Intel Media, said in February that the company planned to start service this year.
The company continues to negotiate for programming and may have agreements in place within weeks, according to the reports. Sony, Google and Apple are all working on Web-based pay-TV services, to take on traditional providers and OTT services like LoveFilm and Netflix.