Thousands of Movies & TV Episodes from Netflix Now Available via Nintendo’s Wii Console

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii

Now Wii Owners Can Use One System for Movie & Game Night
REDMOND, Wash., and LOS GATOS, Calif., April 12, 2010 – Nintendo of America Inc. and Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] today announced that Netflix members who own Nintendo’s Wii™ home console can now enjoy thousands of movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix via Wii. The two companies announced partnership plans in January and are making Netflix on the Wii console fully available as of today.
Streaming from Netflix via the Wii console is provided at no additional cost to Netflix members who have a plan starting at $8.99 a month, a Wii console and a broadband Internet connection.
The partnership between the two companies dramatically increases the reach of content streamed from Netflix. Wii remains the fastest-selling home console in history. Wii now reaches more consumers than any other device that currently supports streaming movies from Netflix, which had 12.3 million members at the end of 2009.
The launch of Netflix on Wii gives people the opportunity to gather with friends and family for a movie and game night. Everyone can join in the fun of a few heated rounds of Wii Sports Resort™ bowling before loading up a movie. When the movie’s over, everyone can try out some table tennis – all on the same Wii console. The addition of Netflix streaming to the Wii console’s already wide range of capabilities makes it even more appealing for group enjoyment.
“More than 28 million people already use the Wii console to play games, stay fit and have fun,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “Now they have another reason to use the system every day – to enjoy great movies from Netflix and other video content.”
“Launching Netflix on the Wii home console marks a significant advance in the evolution of our service,” said Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings. “Wii has created immense consumer excitement and has meaningfully altered the consumer electronics landscape. Bringing Netflix to Wii catapults us toward our goal of being ubiquitous on the connected devices most popular with consumers.”
Netflix continues to expand the ways in which its members can watch movies and TV shows streamed directly to TVs via a range of Netflix-ready devices such as the Wii console. With unlimited memberships starting as low as $8.99 a month, members can instantly watch unlimited movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix and can also receive unlimited DVDs delivered quickly to their homes. In parallel, consumers continue to demonstrate a preference for Wii consoles and the great value they offer in fun games and shared experiences at a suggested retail price of just $199.99. Wii is the only video game system currently available with motion controls, which are included with the system at no extra charge.
To enable their systems to stream TV shows and movies from Netflix, Wii owners will need a broadband Internet connection, a Netflix unlimited membership and a Netflix instant streaming disc for the Wii console. Netflix members and Wii console owners can now receive a free instant streaming disc by going to www.netflix.com/wii. The discs will be delivered for free by first-class mail, generally one business day after they are requested.
When the instant streaming disc is inserted into a member’s Wii system, an array of movie and TV choices will be displayed right on the TV screen. These titles will be conveniently organized into a variety of categories based on members’ personal preferences and will include popular genres, new arrivals and members’ individual instant Queues. Using the Wii Remote™ controller, members will be able to choose a movie or TV episode to watch from their instant Queues or pick one directly from any of the lists. They will also have the ability to read synopses, rate movies, and will have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding their selection.
The Netflix functionality adds another dimension to the Wii console’s diverse online features. With broadband Internet access, the Wii console gains access to a variety of entertainment, information and communication channels that add value to the system and make it a device the entire family can enjoy. For instance, Wii owners of all types can find great games from among hundreds of downloadable new and classic titles with Wii Points™ from the Wii Shop Channel. Or surf the Internet on the big screen via the Internet Channel, watch videos about new and upcoming games on the Nintendo Channel, and play specially designed games online with friends near and far.
Remember that Wii features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other Wii features, visit Wii.com.
About Nintendo: The worldwide pioneer in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wii™ home console and Nintendo DS™ family of portable systems. Since 1983, when it launched the Nintendo Entertainment System™, Nintendo has sold more than 3.3 billion video games and more than 558 million hardware units globally, including the current-generation Wii, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi™ and Nintendo DSi XL™, as well as the Game Boy™, Game Boy Advance, Super NES™, Nintendo 64™ and Nintendo GameCube™ systems. It has also created industry icons that have become well-known, household names such as Mario™, Donkey Kong™, Metroid™, Zelda™ and Pokémon™. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, please visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.
About Netflix, Inc.
With more than 12 million members, Netflix, Inc. [Nasdaq: NFLX] is the world’s largest subscription service streaming movies and TV episodes over the Internet and sending DVDs by mail. For $8.99 a month, Netflix members can instantly watch unlimited TV episodes and movies streamed to their TVs and computers and can receive unlimited DVDs delivered quickly to their homes. With Netflix, there are never any due dates or late fees. Members can select from a growing library of titles that can be watched instantly and a vast array of titles on DVD. Among the large and expanding base of devices that can stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix right to members’ TVs are Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PS3 and Nintendo’s Wii game consoles; Blu-ray disc players from Samsung, LG and Insignia; Internet TVs from LG, Sony and VIZIO; the Roku digital video player and TiVo digital video recorders; and Apple’s iPad tablet. For more information, visit http://www.netflix.com.