Electronics giant Sony has made a deal with Netflix to enable Netflix subscribers to stream Netflix video to Sony Bravia Internet-enabled televisions beginning “in the fall.” The deal marks the latest in a spate of agreements that open up Netflix’s streaming video capabilities to a number of services and devices, including Blu-ray players and dedicated set-top boxes from the likes of TiVo, Roku, and LG, and (of course) the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live service.
“Sony has been a world leader in consumer electronics for decades,” said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, in a statement. “We are proud to include Sony Electronics among our CE partners who continue to provide new and exciting ways for Netflix members to instantly watch movies and TV episodes in their living rooms on their TVs.”
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The service will be available to owners of sony Bravia Internet Video-capable HDTVs as well as previous Sony Bravia models equipped with the separate Sony Bravia Internet Video Link module. Netflix currently offer more than 12,000 titles for streaming; access requires a current Netflix subscription; prices start at $8.99 a month.
Curiously omitted from Sony’s deal with Netflix is the PlayStation 3 gaming console: given the console’s networking and high-definition output capabilities, it would seem a natural fit for tying into a streaming video service—and Microsoft has see strong success offering Netflix streaming video via Xbox Live. It’s possible that terms of Netflix’s deal with Microsoft prohibit the company from partnering with other game console makers—Microsoft has been known to insist on similar exclusive licensing deals in the past. It’s equally possible that Sony—which, lest we forget, is also a movie studio—would rather keep video distribution to the PlayStation 3 in-house rather than latch on to a third party service.
