Report: Half Of Netflix Subscribers Stream Through Consoles

A new survey of Netflix subscribers finds half of them streaming TV and movie content through a home video game console, with half of those users using the Wii as a Netflix streaming box. The Nielsen report, based on 12,000 online interviews conducted in March, determined that 25 percent of Netflix subscribers were using the Wii to stream video content, with 13 percent using a PS3 and 12 percent using Xbox Live for the same purpose. The report follows on a May study that found Netflix usage on consoles was responsible for 20 percent of all North American internet bandwidth usage during peak periods. Nintendo revealed earlier this month that 1.5 million people use Netflix on the Wii every day. Hulu Plus has not been nearly as popular on game systems, according to Nielsen, with only 3 percent of all Hulu users saying they use the service on a PS3, and 2 percent using it on Xbox Live. (Surprisingly, 3 percent of Hulu users in the survey said they used the service on their Wii, even though it is not officially offered on the console). Streaming video through consoles is still less popular than watching directly on a computer for both services, according to the report, with 42 percent of Netflix users and 89 percent of Hulu users using computers for access. A significant 14 percent of Netflix users and 20 percent of Hulu users reported watching the services through a computer hooked up to a TV.