Less than three months after Microsoft launched a Netflix application for its Xbox Live service, 1 million people have activated it, the companies announced.
The application allows unlimited streaming through the Xbox 360 via Netflix's "Instant Watch" feature. It's free to Netflix subscribers who also have an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
"Adding Netflix to our ever-growing library of 30,000 movies and TV shows makes Xbox 360 the best value in home entertainment," boasted John Schappert, corporate vice president of Interactive Entertainment for Xbox Live.
The milestone is nice, but it's a little misleading because accounts may be activated on a trial basis for people who don't already subscribe to Netflix. The companies don't say how many of those 1 million Xbox Live Gold members became active Netflix subscribers.
They do, however, brag of 1.5 billion minutes served through Instant Watch, which allows users to queue movies on their computers and stream them over the console. On average, that equates to 1,500 minutes per user, or 12.5 movies at two hours per film. Those are definitely impressive figures.
Instant Watch is an enticing service. I cancelled my Netflix account after the trial period, but have been toying with the idea of a 1 DVD at a time subscription simply to get streaming movies back on my Xbox 360. If Netflix makes good on its promise to invest "substantially" in streaming movies this year, the two companies will have plenty more to brag about.
