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Xbox 360 a gold mine for Netflix growth?

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On January 28, 2009, 2:39 PM EST

Netflix reaching out beyond just the PC as a streaming platform was a tremendously good move for the company – most people do not want to sit in front of their PC when watching a movie or shows. Now that they have the Roku and third-party hardware with streaming options, Netflix has seen a surge in new accounts. The Xbox 360 however has been cited by analysts as a huge player in that, perhaps the most significant one, and will continue to be so.

With at least 10 million Xbox Live Gold subscribers, they might be right. You already have an audience that doesn't mind paying for online services and makes use of their console on the Internet often enough. In addition, you have the unknown number of Xbox Live Silver subscribers, who might see the addition of Netflix functionality to be all the motivation they need to subscribe. All in all, the estimate is that Netflix might gain an additional 1 million customers, making the 360 trounce even their own Roku for streaming subscribers.

Now, if only Netflix can solve the issue of having nowhere near the streaming selection that their standard DVD library boasts. For all of you Xbox 360 users out there, have you made use of the Netflix streaming service on it, or would you if the selection was better?

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User Comments (5)

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cinimod25
on January 28, 2009
4:49 PM
I got Netflix about a month or 2 after it came out, I love the concept but would love a nicer selection of movies. Mostly they have older movies, and a few newer titles. I think once they get more updated content for streaming there will be a significant jump in members on XBOX 360 live and Netflix. The XBOX 360 is becoming more then a gaming console. It's becoming a home entertainment system. Music, movies, games, chatting, mail. If Microsoft plays there cards right, they will dominate the market in consoles also. They just need to make it easier for the average person who owns a XBOX 360, to connect their computer...

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Ultimate Load
on January 28, 2009
5:55 PM
I have been an Netflix member for almost 8 years and can't imagine using anything else. I love it that is now part of Xbox Live, and would love for the media selection through Xbox to be more robust. However that is not a complaint; I still have my 4 at a time plan and it suits me nicely. What Xbox Live does for me is fill that rare gap when I don't have a movie at home; from my perceptive, I went from a 4 at a time plan to an "unlimited" plan. I can have a Bluray copy of a flick in my house for my PS3, and yet play that same movie on the 3 360's in 3 other rooms through Xbox Live.

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JDoors
on January 29, 2009
1:41 PM
I have a huge Netflix queue (which I am too embarrassed to reveal the exact number) and "only" 47 are listed as "watch now." The way I see it, that's forty-seven movies I don't have to wait for if I choose not to. Why that's seen as a restriction to the service rather than an advantage I do not understand.

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fastvince
on January 29, 2009
1:58 PM
I use it all the time and I am very happy with it. The quality is excellent. I agree with some of the other posters. I wish they offered newer movies available for streaming. Most of the movies available for streaming are older ones that I already seen.

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purity999
on January 29, 2009
2:11 PM
I been using Netflix for about 6 years now. Prior to the Xbox getting the service, I rarely used the watch it now feature. I mean, I've got a fat 24 inch flat panel sitting in from of me, but who wants to sit at a computer when you have a good home theater setup? I am glad that I'm finally able to put the Watch It Now to good use. My only complaint is that they need to vastly increase there selection. I've got a 47 inch Philips LCD TV, the quality is surprisingly impressive.

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