Hastings: Netflix eager to avoid 'Armageddon battle' with cable

Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) is not yet ready to start showing in-season TV shows, movies or sports in competition with incumbent providers and as encouragement to cord cutters.

"We're small enough that we don't want to incite World War II or World War III with the incumbents," Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said at the Wired Business Conference in New York City. That type of move, he said, could start an "Armageddon battle" with incumbent service providers.

On the other hand, Netflix has to go somewhere. It now has more subscribers than any other service--having recently passed Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA)--and its movie rental business is in decline.

"Traditional DVDs have probably peaked and will probably decline at the same rate as CDs did over the last 10 years," Hastings said.

For more:
- Wired.com has this story

Related articles:
Netflix outbids AMC, HBO for original programming
Netflix ready to pass Comcast as number 1 subscription service
Netflix gracious to cable following Q1 announcement