Netflix Instant Watching Feature Viewed 5 Million Times in 6 Months

Netflix recently announced that its customers have watched movies and TV episodes five million times on their personal computers (PCs) since an instant watching feature was introduced in January.

"Netflix DVD delivery is fast and, with watching on the PC, it's virtually instant," said Netflix CEO Reed Hastings. "Netflix continues to raise the bar to connect people with movies they love with great convenience, selection and value," Mr. Hastings said.

In January, Netflix introduced the new feature that allows subscribers to start watching a movie or TV episode on their PCs in as little as 30 seconds. Netflix subscribers can choose from a growing library of 2,000 titles that are available for instant watching. Among the most popular titles for instant watching are the American TV series The Office and the films The Matrix, The Prince and Me, Super Size Me, The Sum of All Fears, Jackass: The Movie and Sherrybaby. Netflix says it is adding more titles every day with the goal of providing 5,000 titles for instant watching by the end of the year.

As with the Netflix DVD catalog, members can browse movies available for instant watching by title, genre or star rating. Personalized recommendations, based on an individual's historical preferences, also appear at the top of the member's page tabbed "Watch Now."

The hours available for instant watching vary based on subscribers' monthly plans. For example, subscribers on the $4.99 plan get two DVDs each month with one DVD out a time plus the ability to watch 5 hours of movies and TV episodes instantly on a PC for no additional charge. The popular $17.99 plan gives unlimited DVD rentals with three DVDs out at a time and the ability to watch 18 hours of movies and TV episodes instantly on a PC for no additional charge. Subscribers are assessed by the minute, not the movie, so for 18 hours, subscribers can enjoy about nine full-length movies, or about 36 half-hour TV episodes, or a combination of both.

For more information, check out the Netflix press release.