Netflix is reportedly in talks with cable companies to provide quick access to the company's streaming service via cable set-top boxes.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, Netflix is discussing the option with firms like Comcast and Suddenlink Communications. If it goes through, cable customers could access content from Netflix from their TVs much like they would access TV shows and movies on demand.

Last month, Netflix signed an agreement with Virgin Media to bring Netflix onto a pay-TV platform for the first time. Using the Netflix app, Virgin Media TiVo customers can watch streaming content through their set-top box.

Netflix declined to comment on the report.

If Netflix did secure a deal with U.S. ISPs, it would mean cable customers would not need a smart TV or DVD player or a separate gadget - like Apple TV, Roku, or Chromecast - to access Netflix streaming content.

According to the Journal, a deal between Netflix and U.S. cable firms would require those firms to sign on the company's Open Connect program. Netflix launched Open Connect in June 2012, and it serves as the video provider's very own content delivery system.

The move was prompted by the explosion in the amount of video Netflix customers were watching on the company's Watch Instantly streaming network. Prior to Open Connect, Netflix partnered with commercial content delivery networks (CDNs) to get its movies and TV shows to customers' devices. But now, in addition to CDNs, ISPs can "get Netflix video data from Open Connect, a single-purpose Netflix content delivery network we've established," Netflix said at the time.

U.S. ISPs that have signed on for Open Connect include Cablevision, Frontier, Clearwire, and Google Fiber. British Telecom, TDC, GVT, Telus, Bell Canada, Virgin, Telmex, and more have also signed up overseas. Those who sign up have the option to stream Netflix content in Super HD or 3D.

But some top ISPs, like Verizon Communications and Time Warner Cable, have declined to sign up for Open Connect. "While they call it 'Open Connect,' Netflix is actually closing off access to some of its content while seeking unprecedented preferential treatment from ISPs," Time Warner Cable said earlier this year.

The move could help Netflix compete with the likes of HBO, which the streaming company has identified as one of its top competitors. HBO is available as a premium channel via U.S. cable networks for about $15 per month, but subscribers can also watch HBO content on their mobile gadgets via the company's HBO GO service. Netflix starts at $7.99 per month for streaming.

Netflix, meanwhile, released its ISP speed index for September this morning. The list charts which ISPs provide the best Netflix streaming experience, with Google Fiber, Cablevision, and Cox topping the list in the U.S.

For more, check out PCMag Live from Monday in the video below, which discusses Netflix's possible deals with cable firms.

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