I think you're in the minority. Most TV owners don't have xbox or chromecast. Netflix bundled with a TV strictly reduces the friction to watch Netflix.
I think you're overestimating the pull Netflix has. Literally everyone I know either has a Chromcast, a Roku, or an Apple TV.
While I'm sure some sales will be driven by this, I don't believe its going to be enough to move the needle. If anything, it'll push Amazon and Google to provide better offerings with their respective devices.
> I think you're overestimating the pull Netflix has
Literally every device in my entertainment system can independently access Netflix: the TV itself, the Apple TV, the Blu-Ray player, and the Xbox. Two of those devices' remotes have dedicated Netflix buttons on their remotes.
So you're right that this is probably not going to drive sales. But that's only because they've saturated the market already, not because they aren't relevant to how a lot of people watch TV.
I literally don't know anyone that has either a Chromecast, a Roku, or an Apple TV. I watch Netflix via the Wii (or the PC, which is nowhere near a TV).
Just because literally everyone you know uses those platforms doesn't mean they have meaningful pull either. That's unless you know every TV owner in the world. Your anecdotal experience is irrelevant compared to the average experience of the hundreds of millions of TV owners across the country and world.
Most Netflix subscribers (edit from people) just want to watch Netflix on their TV. If you're buying a new TV, the easiest way to do that is to get one that supports Netflix out of the box.
I think it's a safe assumption that most Netflix subscribers want to watch Netflix on their TV with ease.
My grandpa has a Netflix account. If he wants to buy a tv that can play Netflix, It's so much easier for me to tell him "buy a TV with the Netflix logo" than "buy a TV and then buy either chromecast/Apple tv/roku."
> I think it's a safe assumption that most Netflix subscribers want to watch Netflix on their TV with ease.
I think it's a safe assumption that most Netflix streaming subscribers already have a way to watch Netflix where they want it, whether that's on their TV, on some other device, or both. In some cases, when that's on a TV, its directly through the TV, but in many cases its through a Chromecast, DVD/BD player, AppleTV/Roku, etc., etc., etc.
If they are looking to replace the TV, then, in all cases except where the existing TV is also where the Netflix app is, all they need to do is replace the TV with any TV/monitor that works with their existing mechanism, which probably means "has an HDMI port". Which isn't a really difficult challenge.
The only time the friction is reduced for an existing customer by a TV with an integrated Netflix app is when they are adding a new location, or replacing an existing TV where they were already relying on an on-TV app.
My Samsung includes Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu & HBO Go making my set of casting devices mostly superfluous. And only one remote is definitely a benefit. I think the masses are going to be happy with that.
While I'm sure some sales will be driven by this, I don't believe its going to be enough to move the needle. If anything, it'll push Amazon and Google to provide better offerings with their respective devices.