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Netflix streaming takes a serious hit, Columbia Pictures not watchable on 360 photo

I fired up my 360 and installed the New Xbox Experience last night.. After making my avatar and fiddling with the menus, I sunk my teeth into the feature I was most looking forward to, Netflix streaming, and watched a couple episodes of a short-lived, Jay Mohr TV show.

This afternoon, I went back to watch some more, only to discover that the show was no longer listed in my Instant Watch Queue on the 360. A quick trip to the Netflix website revealed that, yes, it was still in my queue but, no, it was not available for Xbox.

Apparently, a lot of movies and TV shows have dropped off the face of the service over the last twenty-four hours. Joystiq did a little bit of matlocking and found the thing that they all have in common: Columbia Pictures, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment. What an amazing coincidence!

There is, at present, no way of knowing if a movie you want to watch is on the 360 blacklist until it's in your queue, where Netflix lists what videos cannot be watched on the console. So, if you were planning on curling up on the couch to watch The Freshman (as I had wanted to do later this evening), you're out of luck.


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77 comments | showing # 1 to 50

Puppy Licks's Avatar
Puppy Licks at 11/18/2008 19:40
wow, just.... wow.
vexed alex's Avatar
vexed alex at 11/18/2008 19:41
Sony. What a bunch of douche bags.
t3h d0n's Avatar
t3h d0n at 11/18/2008 19:43
lmao
Spilt Milk's Avatar
Spilt Milk at 11/18/2008 19:43
The negative publicity and backlash from this dick move will cost them more then they can imagine.
Arttemis's Avatar
Arttemis at 11/18/2008 19:44
Fucking ridiculous bullshit. What the hell. This better be addressed and fixed.
robotplague's Avatar
robotplague at 11/18/2008 19:47
I assume you're talking about Action, which is fantastic. A great show that should have gotten more recognition than it did.
mix's Avatar
mix at 11/18/2008 19:52
I don't see why you guys are complaining about this as why would Sony let MS make money or what not from their stuff?

Does MS allow Sony things on the 360?....Nope
atastysammich's Avatar
atastysammich at 11/18/2008 19:52
Oh, hell. Can't they be form a cease-fire for this one little service? Microsoft lets Rare hang out with their old lover Nintendo once in a while. What's next, Sony's Vaio computers coming factory-installed with Linux?
Infinite Obscurity's Avatar
Infinite Obscurity at 11/18/2008 19:53
What....the....fuck?
mix's Avatar
mix at 11/18/2008 19:55
Forgot to add that Sony is still hurt over the FF fiasco...lol
Trowble's Avatar
Trowble at 11/18/2008 19:56
Ahhh... competition screwing over the consumers one person at a time
UnnDunn's Avatar
UnnDunn at 11/18/2008 19:56
Haha. Gotta love corporate brinkmanship. It's all so juvenile.
UnrealClock's Avatar
UnrealClock at 11/18/2008 19:57
Sounds a like a rather creative move.
Arttemis's Avatar
Arttemis at 11/18/2008 19:57
@Mix - ?!?!?

Sony does make royalty money from subscriptions through Netflix by licensing their movies. This sophomoric, ridiculous, inane, juvenile, retarded, scrupleless posturing bt Sony isn't helping anyone. It's just legalized extortion.
Dao2-SKP's Avatar
Dao2-SKP at 11/18/2008 19:58
tahts a dick move by sony ;p funny and i can def see why but still dick :P
Atlas's Avatar
Atlas at 11/18/2008 19:59
So Sony is moving to bar all of their movies from playing on the Xbox 360? Did I really hear that right?
nukka jdav's Avatar
nukka jdav at 11/18/2008 19:59
As long as I have 30 Rock, I = Happy
power-glove's Avatar
power-glove at 11/18/2008 19:59
Mix, Sony's Vaio computers use the Windows OS. So MS does help Sony out a bit.
BluDesign's Avatar
BluDesign at 11/18/2008 20:04
I can't wait for this to be over. I assume MS will probably put out some fluff press release next month stating that Sony is a neener-head and that their mother is so fat that she bought a PS3 to cook herself dinner.

Good job Sony. Thanks.

Just fair notice to you guys. Sony owns: Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia Pictures, and MGM. Fox holds distribution rights for Home Video of MGM titles, but Sony may be able to circumvent that on language. If MGM's library falls out of the streaming service, I'll cancel my Netflix, since Netflix apparently doesn't have a backbone in this matter.
vonneuton's Avatar
vonneuton at 11/18/2008 20:06
Anyone able to contact someone to be sure this is the reason? Sound kind of speculative, but funny as hell. Dick move, if it is. But still funny.
awkwardmongoose's Avatar
awkwardmongoose at 11/18/2008 20:06
At least you can get Netflix at all, damn Canada:(
Trev's Avatar
Trev at 11/18/2008 20:07
This seems way too ridiculous. It can't be what it seems. Sony Pictures movies are still available, if they were really doing what it looks like, those would be the first to go.
Arttemis's Avatar
Arttemis at 11/18/2008 20:07
@DVDdesign - If that's the case, Sony will only be losing royalties from Netflix subscriptions.

How anyone can think this is a good idea for anyone is absurd.
Necros's Avatar
Necros at 11/18/2008 20:08
So wait, it let you do it at first, then it just suddenly got dropped? That's extremely lame, especially when Sony's other media is normally quite open. I note that Bob Dylan and Coheed and Cambria are both under Sony's music labels; what if they only licensed the songs to the PS3 version?
MrSadistic's Avatar
MrSadistic at 11/18/2008 20:09
I don't get how this is a dick move, but whatever. Let the butt hurt continue.
Mxyzptlk's Avatar
Mxyzptlk at 11/18/2008 20:11
@ Mix: I can watch Sony/Columbia Pictures movies on DVD through my 360. I should be able to watch everything in Netflix's streaming catalog by the same logic. If Sony is indeed behind this, they can eat a bucket of dick.
mix's Avatar
mix at 11/18/2008 20:11
@Arttemis

Thanks!

The more you know ___----*

I had no idea, Sony is just grumpy or something.
Arttemis's Avatar
Arttemis at 11/18/2008 20:12
2nd Update fom Joystiq:

It appears that the sudden yoinking of Columbia Pictures films from NXE Instant Queue access is a licensing issue with Sony after all. MTV Multiplayer pinged us with word that, on the rental service's official blog, Netflix corp. communications VP Steve Swasey writes:

"As watching instantly becomes a more prominent part of the Netflix service, our goal is to have all of our streaming content licensed for all of our partner devices. We're doing well in this area, but it will take some time before we fully achieve that goal. Today, titles regularly come in and out of license and there is a natural ebb and flow to what we have on license at any given point in time. In the case of Xbox 360, a few hundred titles are temporarily unavailable to be streamed via the Xbox game console. Those titles are still available to be watched on subscribers' computers and on TVs via other partner devices, and we hope they'll be licensed for Xbox 360 shortly."
mix's Avatar
mix at 11/18/2008 20:12
@Powerglove and Mxyzptlk

Totally makes sense, I was thinking just video games though.

It does make no sense really........
Ginzy's Avatar
Ginzy at 11/18/2008 20:12
Haha, i can see it now, 360 fanboys boycotting spider-man 4 amongst others because of this
I can see the pettyness coming!
SunRa73's Avatar
SunRa73 at 11/18/2008 20:16
Gotta love the free market.
Trowble's Avatar
Trowble at 11/18/2008 20:19
@Mxyzptlk: You are correct sir!
wardrox's Avatar
wardrox at 11/18/2008 20:20
THE BIGGEST MOMENT ON THE INTERNET.

Hardey har.
GrayFox's Avatar
GrayFox at 11/18/2008 20:25
Total dick move, but it's business. Put yourself in Sony's shoes.. would you not do everything you can to fuck with the company which has already taken a huge bite out of your gaming division, and may even usurp you in the near future?

It's just too bad that the end user is the one who takes the brunt of this attack. Won't someone ever think of the end user???
Celdurant's Avatar
Celdurant at 11/18/2008 20:26
I doubt this is blatant douchebagism, since Sony Pictures isn't retarded, and probably likes its money coming in the way it is, and wouldn't let it's products be lost to potential Netflix customers. Besides, why Columbia Pictures specifically? Why not Sony Pictures first and foremost? I think there's something else afoot here.

People tend to think "Sony" as a whole, but I highly doubt Sony Computer Entertainment is running over to Sony Pictures, telling them what to do, saying "Oh, you guys can't allow your movies to be streamed to Xbox 360s, cuz they're our competition". Unless of course there was some major douche at Sony Corp over everybody's head, who just wanted to be an ass. But that's a different story.
AgentMOO's Avatar
AgentMOO at 11/18/2008 20:32
Goddammit

Alexradl's Avatar
Alexradl at 11/18/2008 20:43
Why are you guys acting like you didn't expect this to happen? If I were Sony, I would do the exact same thing.
Rational Animal's Avatar
Rational Animal at 11/18/2008 20:46
arguecat sez:

all of you who are saying this or that makes no sense, sony is just doing it for the lulz, blah blah blah...you have absolutely no idea what the terms of their licensing agreement with netflix actually looks like. they may or may not get any incremental revenue whatsoever from microsoft's integration of netflix' online platform, in which case, sony has absolutely no incentive to aid the competition.
maguszxz's Avatar
maguszxz at 11/18/2008 20:54
I agree with Celdurant on this one. I'm not a fanboy either console. Sony is not just one company as a whole, it is made up of many different divisions. Sony Computer Entertainment doesn't run Sony Pictures. That would be a dick move on their part. Sony is in the market of making money. If they can make that money back in division while isn't then so be it. Sony Pictures and Microsoft can cuddle up with no problems. Just don't call SCE and brag about it. They are still a little butt hurt about Socom right now.
Arttemis's Avatar
Arttemis at 11/18/2008 20:56
Considering Netflix's VP's statements, this is (hopefully) only a very temporary issue with the legality of streaming to a new device, and not an absurd retaliation.

@alexradl: Yeah, intentionally preventing people from downloading your IPs, meaning you no longer receive the royalty fees associated with them, is completely logical.

@Rational Animal: I find it hard to believe that Netflix would deny monetary compensation to IP owners because of the specific peripheral brand - especially since the 360 isn't the only set-top device to do so.
seltzermx's Avatar
seltzermx at 11/18/2008 21:14
I know its a business and its all about competition, but Sony's also treading a fine line.

What if Microsoft decides to stop selling Windows for use on VAIO computers? I'm pretty sure Sony would feel that.

Here's a good example of stepping a little over the competition line, into douchebagy-ness and its results:

Google gets spanked
BattyAdroit's Avatar
BattyAdroit at 11/18/2008 21:29
Celdurant, Rational Animal and Maguszxz win the thread. .
Spilt Milk's Avatar
Spilt Milk at 11/18/2008 21:29
Dear sony,

Go screw yourself.

http://www.themediamall.com/playon

Love,

Spilt
parrothead's Avatar
parrothead at 11/18/2008 21:30
Smart Move Sony, it is exactly what Microsoft would have done, if they you know owned a Studio
CelicaCrazed's Avatar
CelicaCrazed at 11/18/2008 21:39
The 360 owners weren't complaining when Sony's Music Division was providing service to the 360 and not the PS3. How the tables have turned...
Crunshii's Avatar
Crunshii at 11/18/2008 21:41
can't help it but the first thing I did after reading the title was lol.

Its a bit messed up but hey, business is business. If Netflix didn't cover this shit with Sony before doing the whole xbox streaming thing, then guess what! its Netflix fault.

They should have covered this before, and if they did, its a dick move to offer the service but limited selection to not fixing its status with the property owner.
necrozen's Avatar
necrozen at 11/18/2008 21:45
MS does this kind of shit all the time - funny to see it thrown back at them. But I feel sorry for the folks who will miss out. I knew they'd have problems with this, just sounded too good, you know.
dronkmunk's Avatar
dronkmunk at 11/18/2008 22:20
It's ON!!!!
Redzie's Avatar
Redzie at 11/18/2008 22:22
Joystiq?
seamonkey420's Avatar
seamonkey420 at 11/18/2008 22:42
@Crunshii

same here.. lmfao after reading. i could hear a boo ya from the sony fanboy side. i tell ya, these console wars be getting ugly.. the race for 2nd is a vicious one.. :P
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