Coming soon to an iPhone near you — a selection of new movies? Netflix, the pioneer of home DVD delivery that recently stated streaming movies online and onto game consoles, appears to be testing the waters for an iPhone app.
A single-question e-mail survey began reaching Netflix users this week trying to gauge interest in such an app.
“Imagine that Netflix offers its subscribers the ability to instantly watch movies and TV episodes on their iPhone” reads the survey, as reported on several blogs. “The selection availability to instantly watch includes some new releases, lots of classics, and TV episodes. There are no advertisements or trailers, and movies start in as little as 30 seconds. You can fast-forward, rewind and pause or watch again. The movies and TV episodes you instantly watch are included in your Netflix membership for no additional fee.”
There’s a catch, though. Your iPhone would have to be connected to a Wi-Fi router when viewing. The survey suggests the app wouldn’t be 3G compatible and won’t allow movies to be downloaded.
The survey reportedly asks, “If this functionality were available, how likely would you or someone in your household be to instantly watch movies and TV episodes on your iPhone via a Wi-Fi network?”
Netflix, which charges a $9 monthly membership fee, sent a similar survey to assess interest in streaming to Nintendo’s Wii gaming platform, which includes Wi-Fi. That service begins this spring. Netflix is already available on Microsoft’s Xbox Live platform and is reportedly pursuing deals with other game-console makers.
Netflix spokesperson Steve Swasey said, “Netflix surveys folks all the time about all aspects of the business — content, UI, devices, web site … We have more than 200 surveys going at any given time, but nothing to comment on.”
In an interview with Reuters,…