As detailed on the official Netflix blog this morning, Netflix has revised the Netflix application on the Nintendo Wii to include a section for younger television viewers. The “Just for Kids” section was previously limited to only South American Netflix subscribers, but has expanded to include the United States as of today. The section highlights kid-friendly content such as animated television shows and movies. According to Netflix officials, all video content within this section is suitable for children 12-years-old and under. Development for the Nintendo Wii has been a priority for Netflix, but the company has plans to roll out the same interface for other consoles soon.
While the “Just for Kids” section can be easily found within the menu, children can still access recently viewed movies within the interface and potentially watch movies and television shows containing mature content. Until Netflix offers the ability to assign multiple usernames to a single account and connect rating limitations to those accounts, younger viewers will still have access to a variety of inappropriate content through the streaming service. Separate usernames would also allow the Netflix recommendation feature to highlight programming for different users under the same account.
While expanded features for streaming access will be welcomed by subscribers, the quantity and quality of content on the service is still an issue for many users. The company’s stock has recently hit a 20-month low and investors are concerned with mounting debt issues. The market value of the company has plunged by approximately 12 billion dollars since mod-July 2011. Just yesterday, the company announced plans to raise $400 million to cover the rising costs of licensing streaming content for subscribers. According to Netflix officials, the company plans to lose money through 2012 and warned investors of this possibility for the upcoming year.
