Netflix goes live with Sony game console streaming

PHYSICAL: Company sends out first 100,000 PS3 discs

By Danny King -- Video Business, 11/9/2009

NOV. 9 | PHYSICAL: Netflix has made digital titles streamable on Sony’s PlayStation 3 videogame consoles, making good on last month’s announcement that it would expand videogame console access beyond Microsoft’s Xbox 360.

The largest U.S. movie-rental service via mail last week sent out the first 100,000 discs required for Sony PlayStation 3 owners to access Netflix’s digital titles and will send out the remaining discs requested by PS3 users over the next few weeks, Netflix VP of marketing Jessie Becker wrote on the company’s community blog on Nov. 5. Netflix isn’t disclosing how many more discs have been requested, according to company spokesman Steve Swasey.

Netflix and Sony Computer Entertainment America said last month that it would provide subscribers with Blu-ray discs that, when installed in PS3 consoles, provide access to Netflix’s inventory of more than 17,000 titles. Netflix and PlayStation 3 users were directed to order the free disc from Netflix’s Web site.

In July 2008, Netflix signed an exclusive agreement to have Microsoft’s Xbox 360 be the only videogames console to be able to play Netflix’s digital titles. Netflix chief financial officer Barry McCarthy said at a New York conference in September that videogame platforms are “ground zero” for hardware devices that will most effectively increase the number of Netflix subscribers who stream video titles. The company also said it would consider similar agreements to the one it has with Microsoft with companies such as Nintendo and Sony for their Wii and PlayStation 3 platforms.

Netflix hasn’t disclosed the status on the Microsoft agreement.