NEWS

Netflix is Xbox 360 Console Exclusive “For Now”

Tom Ivan's picture

By Tom Ivan

April 15, 2009

See also:

Related Articles:

Netflix has told us that its streaming service on game consoles is exclusive to Xbox 360 for the time being, although when asked about its future plans the company didn't rule out the possibility of taking its movie and TV offerings to other platforms.

“Netflix is always looking for ways to grow the service. For now, Netflix streaming on game consoles is exclusively on the Xbox 360 - and it’s a terrific hit,” a spokesperson said. “More than one million Netflix members who are Xbox Gold members have watched more than 1.5 billion minutes of movies and TV episodes instantly over the internet from Netflix via their Xbox 360.”

Netflix’s popularity among US-based Xbox 360 users since its launch on the console back in November 2008 has led to continued speculation that the company would move to roll out the service on other platforms such as the PS3 and Wii.

That possibility appeared to be heightened by a recent job posting on the company’s website for an Engineering Leader—Gaming Platforms with “years of experience” building and leading the development of games on current-gen consoles. “You are familiar with several of those consoles, the technical hurdles associated with them, and the means of navigating those hurdles,” the ad continues.

The job posting followed recent reports suggesting that Netflix had distributed surveys to consumers in a bid to gauge Wii and PS3 owners' interest in its movie and TV content.

When asked about potential plans to expand its operations outside of the States, the Netflix spokesperson simply told us that “Netflix is available in the U.S. only.”

cwhitlock's picture

I have a 360 and PS3 and have access to Netflix for both of them. You don't need to be a gold member. You can download a program called PlayOn from MediaMall that allows you to access your Netflix account, watch Hulu, CBS, etc. You pay 29.95 for the program and you install it on your PC. It allows you access to all of this via your home network.

Mystakill's picture

I've been pointing people to PlayOn ever since it was in beta. It's cheaper than a Gold subscription, and you don't have to renew it every year just so you can get demos a week ahead of everybody else or use your own bandwidth for peer-to-peer gaming. All of the Gold "perks" are artificial limitations that Microsoft tacked on to justify the supposed cost of providing Gold "services."

I let my Gold sub lapse last summer after 6 years. I should've killed it sooner, but Microsoft intentionally made the cancellation process more difficult than it ought to be.

DubsTF's picture

I wonder how much Microsoft paid for THIS exclusive!

grognard66's picture

Absolutely nothing. The fact that the CEO of Netflix sits on the board of directors for MS had more to do with it than money changing hands directly.

Did you have a problem with Sony paying movie studios to lock up Blu-Ray support and also paying Konami for MGS4, not to mention paying second parties for their exclusives, Dubs?

NickgamertagO1's picture

I'm not taking the bait.

DubsTF's picture

Surely you don't doubt or dispute that they paid for an exclusivity window.

Surely you don't think Netflix is limiting their streaming system to one platform just because.

Surely!

ArronC07's picture

Oh dear, one more reason not to pay for gold membership!

German's picture

Oh dear, another comment about not wanting to pay less than $5 a month for a well rounded and, according to a huge majority of videogame magazines and sites, superior online offering.

Its kind of getting old but oh well I know it will never stop just like the RROD.

grognard66's picture

Yep, you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Some of these guys have a bunker mentality where they are intellectually incapable of moving beyond the slogans they've latched on to so the response to everything is "but why do I have to pay online?" and RROD.

There is not another online community with features as robust, consistent and cohesive as Live, but these guys can't see that because this would mean poking their heads out of the sand to see what's right in front of them. Both PC and PS3 are a chaotic mess with only game specific communities and uneven adoption of features and it is impossible to change that this late in the cycle for PS3 (and it can never happen on PC for obvious reasons).

tirminyl's picture

It may just be less than $5 a month but why pay for something you won't use? If I just want to play X game online...why do I need to pay to play? Then say I don't use it again during that period and another game comes out that I want to play online. Well, I can't because my subscription ran out. What if I don't care about Netflix, or getting demos 1 week early. I just want to play with my friends...I guess I have to pay to do so.

That is why Live is not worth it to me to pay for and why it may not be for others. Again I see your point of view but I am just sharing mine.

Even if this does release on other consoles for free, I doubt Microsoft will let it be used by silvers. They gotta boost that gold subscription to mean something.

NickgamertagO1's picture

I hear ya German. We just have to learn to deal with it I guess. I'm good on my gold membership through Jan 2011 (accidentally renewed it not knowing I had a year on it). I've been happily paying for live since it launched on xbox 1 over 5 years ago and will continue to do so throughout the nextbox's lifecycle.

As far as Netflix is concerned though, if it is offered to PSN users essentially free for Netflix subscribers I think it would only be right for silver users to have access to their Netflix accounts through the 360.

NickgamertagO1's picture

If Netflix is offered through either the PS3 or Wii essentially for free as long as you're a Netflix subscriber MS would be forced to offer Netflix to silver membership subscribers.

NickgamertagO1's picture

Son of a gun double posts, sorry.