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T-Mobile Wants To Give You Free Netflix

T-Mobile is taking on competitors' "carrier bundles," and that could mean more viewers for Netflix.
Posted at 7:04 PM, Sep 06, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-06 19:04:13-04

T-Mobile is upgrading its unlimited family plan with a new promotion: free Netflix. 

The company announced the move Wednesday. Its outspoken CEO John Legere explained that because people already use Netflix, partnering with the company would make more sense than developing a streaming competitor — which is what AT&T and Verizon did.

"I mean you can't make up sh*t like go90," Legere said

Verizon reportedly spent more than $200 million on go90 — a streaming service developed specifically for millennials. But critics say it's basically dead. 

T-Mobile is proudly promoting its new partnership with Netflix. But just last year, the company's "Binge On" service — which lets customers watch certain streaming services without data charges — was accused of violating net neutrality

"There are people out there saying we're throttling. That's a game of semantics, and it's bullsh*t," Legere said in response to the criticism.

T-Mobile's CEO argued that any video company could join the Binge On service, but experts said the technical requirements to join posed a significant barrier to entry. 

Some of the companies in the service include Netflix, Hulu, YouTube and even Newsy. 

Back in February, the FCC let T-Mobile continue its Binge On program. The decision was made under new chairman Ajit Pai, who is known for his opposition to net neutrality regulations. 

T-Mobile hopes "Netflix On Us" will give the company an advantage over competitors' "carrier bundles." For Netflix, the new partnership could put the streaming service into more pockets.