Time Warner Cable subsidizes $300 Slingbox

Cable and Internet provider Time Warner Cable said on Tuesday it will subsidize the purchase of the Slingbox Pro-HD set-top boxes to lets subscribers stream their home TV online. The $300 discount on the device, its full price, will only apply to those with TWC's $99-per-month Wideband Internet Service. The move could be seen as controversial by cable programmers, who recently argue distributors need to pay them more for offering their content through channels other than cable TV.

This isn't the first time Time Warner Cable might be in trouble with content providers for allegedly distributing unlicensed content, as it launched an iPad app back in March that let users watch TV programs on the tablet. The provider argues its current contracts allow it to stream content on all the screens in a subscriber's home, while studios have tried to portray it as a separate use.

The rebate will launch sometime in September and is only offered to a fraction of total subscribers, as it's meant to promote the Wideband plan. The Slingbox allows users to record HD content and access it from their mobile devices even outside their home. [via NYT]

By Electronista Staff