No Plans for Netflix on Sony PS3
12.09.08
by 1UP Staff
Sony has no plans to offer Netflix functionality on the PS3, according to hardware marketing director John Koller.
"We've concentrated most of our efforts on our download service, both rentals and downloads of movies and TV shows," Koller said in an interview with GamePro. "Our efforts will continue to be there, because our customers want to own the content."
Microsoft last month unveiled a revamped Xbox gaming console that includes streaming HD movies from Netflix. Sony, however, reportedly blocked Xbox users' access to movies produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Koller downplayed the importance of the Netflix agreement.
"I was in a focus group in New York recently, and the topic of Netflix came up with a group of Xbox 360 owners. [Most of] those people weren't aware of the Netflix agreement," he said.
"Those that knew wanted to know the difference between Netflix streaming on the PC versus the Xbox 360. They discovered that it's obviously the same. ... There are certainly some positives for the 360, but there's also some confusion. It goes further into the argument of 'owning the content.'"
Even before we knew about Netflix's Xbox 360 partnership, we had heard that the company was courting console manufacturers, and didn't seem selective about which box to use.
Netflix's goal has been to work towards becoming a service built into various boxes connected with viewers' TVs, so it's doubtful they'd turn down a similar agreement with Sony. However, from the sounds of these comments, Sony is not interested in the functionality, focusing instead on its relatively young video content store.
This post originally appeared on 1Up.com.
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817...069TX1K0001121
No Plans for Netflix on Sony PS3
