Andre Yoskowitz
23 Apr 2010 12:19
Wedbush Morgan video game analyst Michael Pachter has said today that he expects video game consoles to add 3 million subscriptions to Netflix in 2010.
Netflix gained about 800,000 subscribers in 2009 after they made the streaming service available on the Xbox 360 and Pachter says he expects at least the same amount of additions from the PS3 and Wii.
After Netflix's recent earnings report, Pachter said (via GI): "Subscriber growth exceeded our expectations in Q1. And the company increased full year subscriber guidance by 1 million, implying that contribution from the consoles may be running closer to 3 million this year."
Overall, 55 percent of those with Netflix subscriptions are now "actively" streaming content, up from 48 percent last year.
Additionally, Pachter says that once the current installed base of consoles has been saturated by Netflix, Netflix will make subscribers of about 5-to-10 percent of all new console purchases for the year, expected to add up to 1 million for all three consoles.
Finally, the analyst says that he expects the Netflix streaming to be much less popular on the Wii, given the small number of Internet-connected users on the console and the lack of HD or even pseudo-HD.