Report: Netflix Hiring To Extend Console Streaming

Author: by Leigh Alexander, Matt Matthews

It appears that Netflix is to expand its presence on video game consoles even further. By way of a new job listing, Gamasutra has learned the video rental service is seeking a high-level "Engineering Leader" with "deep experience developing and testing media rich applications on current generation gaming consoles." The posting asks for experience developing games on current-gen consoles, the better to understand their "technical hurdles." "Expect to help build a small technology team to rapidly prototype and iterate on a variety of platforms," says the posting, which also says the candidate will lead a "small team with a huge mandate." Netflix's console-connected movie service, thus far exclusively for Xbox 360, has been a boon to the system, especially since the launch of the New Xbox Experience, which boosted film downloads 49 percent. Last month, Microsoft and Netflix said that over 1 million Xbox Live Gold subscribers have used Netflix's application since it first launched in November 2008. Netflix currently offers over 12,000 movies and television episodes on Xbox Live via its "Watch Instantly" feature, and a portion of these are available in high definition. Users have so far watched 1.5 billion minutes using the Xbox 360 Netflix application, according to recent Microsoft data -- and this job posting certainly raises the possibility that other consoles such as the PlayStation 3 and Wii might receive a similar service in the future.