The US’ biggest online video-on-demand provider Netflix Inc said it is collaborating with Taiwanese chipmakers, including MediaTek Inc (聯發科), to develop smart TV chips.
The partnership with local firms to produce ultra-high-definition videos is part of the “Netflix Recommended TV” program, which was launched in the US last year and is to be extended globally this year to help consumers identify TVs that offer better performance.
“With smart TVs gaining traction, consumers prefer to stream Netflix’s ultra-high-definition 4K and high-dynamic-range videos on larger screens [TVs, over mobile phones and PCs],” Netflix international development officer Greg Peters said in a statement on Tuesday.
As local system-on-a-chip (SoC) suppliers pay more attention to smart TV chips, it would be crucial for Netflix to collaborate with Taiwanese companies such as MediaTek, MStar Semiconductor Inc (晨星半導體) and Novatek Microelectronics Corp (聯詠) to deliver high-level streaming services, Peters said.
Netflix this week launched its Taiwan office in Hsinchu and hired a local engineering team, which is to be in charge of providing certification services for SoC manufacturers, connected TVs, game consoles, set-top boxes and mobile devices.
The company said it plans to develop strategic partnerships with Taiwanese companies and stream more local content to its subscribers around the world.
Netflix also plans to buy 20 Taiwanese “idol dramas,” including The Fierce Wife (犀利人妻), produced by SetTV (三立電視).
The dramas would be available later this year in Taiwan and elsewhere, the company said.
Netflix, which started providing its online streaming services in Taiwan in January, has about 81 million members in more than 190 nations.
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