The problem it solves is the following: Netflix needs DRM to get content deals, Microsoft wants to get rid of Silverlight which Netflix currently depends on, Go

The problem it solves is the following: Netflix needs DRM to get content deals, Microsoft wants to get rid of Silverlight which Netflix currently depends on, Google wants to be able to play Netflix on their Chromebook. All would much prefer if DRM was painted in the positive lights of HTML5. Silverlight and Flash are reproducing the browser's HTML5 video functionalities of decoding and displaying videos. EMEs are the minimum necessary to add DRM to this existing setup. They don't care about iOS or Linux, they're just pushing forward their aligned interests.