Sony Pictures celebrates NXE eve by... blocking Xbox 360 Netflix movie

[afusion]

Just hours before the Xbox 360's newest dashboard update hits tomorrow morning (10:00 a.m. GMT), our friends at Joystiq noticed the list of movies available for Netflix Watch Instantly streaming has suddenly dropped. The culprit? Sony Pictures Home Entertainment subsidiary Columbia Pictures, flicking previously available titles like Superbad, Bad Boys, and We Own the Night over to "Not available on Xbox" status (curiously, SPHE movies are still available to all.) Word from the official Netflix blog cites "the ebb and flow" of what is available on license at any given time causing a few hundred titles to be "temporarily" unavailable on the console, while still open for streaming for other devices, with an eye towards licensing them for the Xbox 360 soon. There's no way to know what movies won't work until adding them to your queue, so when you find your Karate Kid trilogy watching time suddenly wide open for more Gears of War 2 or Left 4 Dead action, just remember you have Sony to thank.

Joystiq Multiplayer

Honestly this is just childish.. Whatever respect I had for Sony and the PS3 just went down the f***** toilet with this blasphemy Sony is acting upon.

[Kushan]

As was mentioned in the other topic, I'm sure this is because someone's notices something in the ToS between Sony and Netflix, probably something along the lines of Netflix not being allowed to distribute Sony's content to other partners, which may be what's affecting this. Expect the content to be enabled again later once they've renegotiated or something.

[afusion]

As was mentioned in the other topic, I'm sure this is because someone's notices something in the ToS between Sony and Netflix, probably something along the lines of Netflix not being allowed to distribute Sony's content to other partners, which may be what's affecting this. Expect the content to be enabled again later once they've renegotiated or something.

At least they didn't produce Iron Man :laugh: :woot:

[Massiveterra]

here's another article from MTV Multiplayer

http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/11/18/...lix-360-movies/

[Andrew Lyle Global Moderator]

What a childish move in deed man. They did the same thing when blu-ray came out. They are possibly the worst company in the world to hold such power behind media.

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

What a childish move in deed man. They did the same thing when blu-ray came out. They are possibly the worst company in the world to hold such power behind media.

Yup, it's no wonder everyone hates them :no:

[CelticWhisper]

I'm no fan of Microsoft, but I echo the sentiment of the other posters here. This was an incredibly juvenile move on Sony's part. How thoroughly petty. It's crap like this that makes me say again and again that I wish the gaming industry would grow up. Other companies/divisions/teams/etc seem to be able to manage just fine. Just look at the release of Firefox 2 a couple years ago - the IE team sent the Mozilla guys a cake to congratulate them. Sure there were the jokes that it was poisoned, but everyone knew they were just jokes and no harm was done. It was a display of good sportsmanship and mature, professional conduct all around. A little professionalism goes a long way, and Sony apparently has yet to learn that. Not that I'm surprised - their hubris has been running off the charts for the last 3 years, ever since XCP.

Things like this make me embarrassed to call myself a gamer. It really is turning into an industry run by children.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

^

Sony Columbia Pictures has nothing to do with the Sony Gaming Division CelticWhisper. Chances are this has nothing to do with the PS3 at all.

If you read even Sony Pictures Entertainment movies (Superbad, etc) are working fine.

Not great, but I'm sure this will be sorted. No reason why Columbia Pictures won't work, but Sony Pictures Entertainment will.

If they were cutting ties to the 360, no Sony published movies would work through Netflix to the 360.

As was mentioned in the other topic, I'm sure this is because someone's notices something in the ToS between Sony and Netflix, probably something along the lines of Netflix not being allowed to distribute Sony's content to other partners, which may be what's affecting this. Expect the content to be enabled again later once they've renegotiated or something.

Again Kushan, stop posting logic :p

Yup, it's no wonder everyone hates them :no:

Now we know why you troll the hell out of a lot of the gaming topics :rofl:

[Yusuf M. Veteran]

It's just a licensing issue. No need to over-dramatize it. :rolleyes:

[Kushan]

Hey guys, look:

?In the case of Xbox 360, a few hundred titles artemporarily unavailableb> to be streamed via the Xbox game console,? Netflix VP of corporate communications Steve Swasey told MTV Multiplayer in an e-mailed statement tonight. ?Those titles are still available to be watched on subscribers? computers and on TVs via other partner devices, and they?ll be licensed for Xbox 360 shortlyhortly.?

Source: http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/11/18/...lix-360-movies/

Hmmmmmmm! That sounds exactly like what I said repeatedly, earlier!

[Pheee]

Wow just a little hiccup, and people are fast to jump on Sony and banish them to hell.

Its only licensing, no big deal, happens every day.

Should we jump on Microsoft because they offer a movie in the USA and not somewhere else....

This will be sorted as stated.

[magik]

Should we jump on Microsoft because they offer a movie in the USA and not somewhere else....

Haha, but people do do that. :pinch:

And besides, that analogy isn't the same at all as it's completely out of Microsoft's control. That analogy would only apply if NetFlix were the ones to pull the movies, but their hand was forced by Sony.

[plainwhitets]

I'm no fan of Microsoft, but I echo the sentiment of the other posters here. This was an incredibly juvenile move on Sony's part. How thoroughly petty. It's crap like this that makes me say again and again that I wish the gaming industry would grow up. Other companies/divisions/teams/etc seem to be able to manage just fine. Just look at the release of Firefox 2 a couple years ago - the IE team sent the Mozilla guys a cake to congratulate them. Sure there were the jokes that it was poisoned, but everyone knew they were just jokes and no harm was done. It was a display of good sportsmanship and mature, professional conduct all around. A little professionalism goes a long way, and Sony apparently has yet to learn that. Not that I'm surprised - their hubris has been running off the charts for the last 3 years, ever since XCP.

Things like this make me embarrassed to call myself a gamer. It really is turning into an industry run by children.

Why would Sony Picture's movies work if what you claim is true?

[Pheee]

Haha, but people do do that. :pinch:

And besides, that analogy isn't the same at all as it's completely out of Microsoft's control. That analogy would only apply if NetFlix were the ones to pull the movies, but their hand was forced by Sony.

Yeah maybe not a correct analogy, but just trying to show its licensing, like why Microsoft cannot distribute the movies, as the movie companys have different licensing rules etc.

Its just alot of smoke without fire here.

[BajiRav]

Hey guys, look:

Source: http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/11/18/...lix-360-movies/

Hmmmmmmm! That sounds exactly like what I said repeatedly, earlier!

I think that is PR speak. I admit that I am very anti-Sony :p but that licensing part doesn't make sense.

My reasons,

- You don't make licensing deals for every device you support. That is like Apple signing licenses for every iPod model they make and every PC iTunes runs on.

- AFAIK these movies were available just before the launch

- All other studios are on Xbox360 (apparently, I don't have Netflix). Why would they "forget" to license just Columbia and then just for Xbox360?

Quoting from the above blog

When asked if the license just coincidentally expired as Microsoft was adding Netflix support or Sony Pictures Entertainment specifically requested Xbox 360 streaming to be disabled, Swasey wouldn't say.

@Audio: Sony Pic. Ent. is blocked according to above source.

[Kushan]

I think that is PR speak. I admit that I am very anti-Sony :p but that licensing part doesn't make sense.

My reasons,

- You don't make licensing deals for every device you support. That is like Apple signing licenses for every iPod model they make and every PC iTunes runs on.

- AFAIK these movies were available just before the launch

- All other studios are on Xbox360 (apparently, I don't have Netflix). Why would they "forget" to license just Columbia and then just for Xbox360?

Actually licensing terms and conditions can be very different between companies. No doubt the columbia terms were just different enough that it affects them and not the others. Since nobody has access to them, we can only speculate, but there's almost certainly going to be a "don't give our **** to our competitors" clause in there and EVEN THOUGH they don't directly compete with MS, they are still competitors.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

@Audio: Sony Pic. Ent. is blocked according to above source.

It's not blocked, read the article fully.

For now, however, Sony Pictures Entertainment films available for streaming through Netflix — including “Superbad,” “We Own The Night” and others (aka Columbia Pictures) — will remain blocked on Xbox 360, until Sony says otherwise.

Joystiq reported wrongly, or failed to realise Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment are two separate entities.

Joystiq broke word this evening that Netflix stopped Xbox 360 users from streaming movies distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment.

edit: Joystiq updated their misinterpretation on their site

Update: We've found a common thread! All of the affected titles from our Queue are distributed by Columbia Pictures. Columbia Pictures, of course, is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Microsoft rival Sony. Case closed?

Oddly enough, Sony Picture Entertainment movies (listed here) are still Xbox-enabled.

Update 2: 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.

[BajiRav]

It's not blocked, read the article fully.

Err :p I did. The wording might be confusing for you but it does say that they are blocked.

For now, however, Sony Pictures Entertainment films available for streaming through Netflix — including “Superbad,” “We Own The Night” and others (aka Columbia Pictures) — will remain blocked on Xbox 360, until Sony says otherwise.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Err :p I did. The wording might be confusing for you but it does say that they are blocked.

They are not blocked.

dhan seriously, read what I posted above.

Sony Computer Entertainment films are not blocked.

Only Columbia are.

For now, however, Sony Pictures Entertainment films available for streaming through Netflix ? including ?Superbad,? ?We Own The Night? and others (aka Columbia Pictures) ? will remain blocked on Xbox 360, until Sony says otherwise.

;)sier now? ;)

[Ayepecks]

Audio, according to what you're quoting, he's right. The clause in em dashes is essentially like setting something off in commas. So read it like this: For now, however, Sony Pictures Entertainment films available for streaming through Netflix will remain blocked on Xbox 360, until Sony says otherwise.

While that's not technically right, you asked him to read the article, and that's what the article says. (Y) They got it wrong, though, as some Sony movies are available but their subsidiaries largely are not.

[magik]

Audio: Not discussing what is actually going on, the correct interpretation of that quote is that BOTH Sony Pictures Entertainment Films AND Columbia Pictures are blocked on the Xbox 360.

[+Audioboxer Subscriber²]

Forget it, we know what works and doesn't, no point in arguing over journalists being unclear.

Sony Pictures Entertainment does, Sony Columbia Pictures doesn't.

[Ayepecks]

Forget it, we know what works and doesn't, no point in arguing over journalists being unclear.

Sony Pictures Entertainment does, Sony Columbia Pictures doesn't.

Right (Y) Joystiq just got it wrong.

[Kushan]

[irony]**** Joystiq! They're being childish pricks![/irony]

[DrunknMunky Veteran]

Now we know why you troll the hell out of a lot of the gaming topics :rofl:

No I'm just posting my opinion, its only trolling to you and other PS3 fans when you don't agree with it and get the hump. So like every day then..