Netflix laid out months ago the reasons that Watch Instantly hasn’t come to Android yet. Namely, security and the challenges of making sure it works with every individual Android phone.
Although we don’t have a common platform security mechanism and DRM, we are able to work with individual handset manufacturers to add content protection to their devices. Unfortunately, this is a much slower approach and leads to a fragmented experience on Android, in which some handsets will have access to Netflix and others won’t. This clearly is not the preferred solution, and we regret the confusion it might create for consumers. However, we believe that providing the service for some Android device owners is better than denying it to everyone.
So the fact Netflix is certifying chipsets like Qualcomm’s newest Snapdragon chips intended for Android phones as “Netflix ready” bodes pretty well – if your phone has a Netflix-certified chip, it’s probably got a good chance of getting Watch Instantly. We’re excited it’s finally happening, even if the affair a weird little trip back to the days of Divx-certified devices. [Venture Beat]