Verizon(S VZ) made it official on the day of its Q4 2013 earnings call: The company is indeed buying the assets of Intel Media, the Intel(S INTC) subsidiary that has been developing an internet TV service called OnCue. As the deal unfolds, a lot of people focus on Intel and its inability to break into the TV business. But as interesting as that story is, it’s also worth taking a look at the other side of the coin: Verizon’s purchase of the Intel Media assets is a fascinating story of a company that was ready to give up on TV — until it abruptly changed course to turn on one of its former partners and take on one of the biggest players in the industry.

A partnership, a mystery box and a sudden turn of events

The thing you need to know about Verizon is: TV isn’t exactly its strongest…