Sony Movies Cut from Netflix Xbox 360 Service

A host of Columbia Pictures films that were expected to be available for streaming through Netflix on the Xbox 360 when the New Xbox Experience hits today will not, in fact, be viewable. Guess who owns Columbia Pictures... Sony!

On Netflix's Instant Queue films ranging from Superbad to Drunken Master now carry the words 'Not available on Xbox' in scary red writing. The films are still available via PC, Mac and on the TV via other devices.

Cue fanboy cries of rage at Sony's evil spoiler tactics on the eve of a Brand New Day in Xbox gaming! Except... it looks like it's nothing quite so sinister.

Let's take a look at the soothing and sensible words of Netflix's VP of corporate communications, Steve Swasey. First up, official confirmation - “In the case of Xbox 360, a few hundred titles are temporarily unavailable to be streamed via the Xbox game console”, he told MTV Multiplayer. “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.”

Swasey would not be drawn on whether Sony had specifically requested that the films be made unavailable on the 360, but said, “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.”

So, no direct denial that it was a snide move on Sony's part, but his suggestion that the films' unavailability is just a natural part of the licensing "ebb and flow" does make sense. Maybe this isn't an evil corporate plot after all...