Netflix

Netflix
Developer(s)	Netflix Inc
Publisher(s)	Netflix Inc
Release Date(s)	October 18, 2010
Genre(s)	Entertainment
Platform(s)	Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One

Netflix is an American over-the-top content platform and production company headquartered in Los Gatos, California. The Netflix app is available on Windows PCs, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S consoles, as well as previously being available on Xbox 360 consoles. The app allows users with a Netflix subscription to stream content from the service directly to their console.

App history

At E3 2008, Microsoft announced a deal to distribute Netflix videos over Xbox Live. This service was launched on November 19, 2008 to Xbox 360 owners with a Netflix Unlimited subscription and an Xbox Live Gold subscription allowing them to stream films and television shows directly from their Netflix Instant Queue from an application on the Dashboard. Xbox Live's Party Mode had a popular feature where users could create a virtual party and bring their avatars to a virtual theater to watch Netflix simultaneously and even send comments and smiley faces to each other. This feature was discontinued on December 6, 2011.

In November 2009, Netflix service became available on the Sony PlayStation 3. The set-up was similar to that on the Xbox 360, allowing Netflix subscribers to stream films and television shows from their Instant Queue to watch on the console. Unlike on the Xbox 360, the Netflix application was originally available on a Blu-ray Disc (available free to subscribers). On October 19, 2010, a downloadable application was made available through the PlayStation Network. Users do not have to pay for use of the service other than the monthly Netflix subscription. In 2012, the PlayStation 3 became the device most used to watch Netflix.

In spring 2010, Netflix service became available on the Wii. The service allows the console to stream content in a user's Instant Queue. Initially, a streaming disc specifically for the Wii was required, along with an Internet connection to the console. Besides a Netflix account with unlimited streaming, there are no additional costs for the service. In contrast to the other two consoles, the Wii is not capable of HD resolution. The Wii streaming disc was released for testing to customers on March 25, 2010, and was released to all registered Netflix members on April 12, 2010. On October 18, 2010, Netflix was released in the United States and Canada as a free downloadable application on the Wii Shop Channel, making the streaming disc no longer necessary; the channel was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on January 9, 2012. Support for Netflix on the Wii was discontinued on January 30, 2019. Netflix confirms the end of service on the Wii console was Nintendo's decision, as it coincides with Nintendo's discontinuation of the Wii Shop Channel.

The Netflix service launched on the Nintendo 3DS on July 14, 2011. The Netflix application for PlayStation Vita was launched the same day as the device's launch on February 22, 2012, making it available for download via the PlayStation Store for free.

The Wii's successor console, the Wii U, began supporting Netflix shortly after its North American release on November 18, 2012. Netflix was later embedded in the Wii U's own Nintendo TVii app the following March 2013.

On November 15, 2013, the Netflix app became available for download on the PlayStation 4 via the PlayStation Store upon the console's U.S. release.

Shortly after Microsoft's November 22, 2013 release of the Xbox One in the United States, Netflix became available for download as an app for the console. In 2014, Microsoft changed the terms for Xbox Live, no longer requiring a Gold subscription to access Netflix and any other online streaming service on Xbox consoles; however, a Netflix subscription is still required to access content.