Sony and Netflix has officially announced today that PlayStation 3 owners will soon be able to stream movies and TV shows to their TV like the Xbox 360.

The streaming service will be available for free to PlayStation 3 owners who have a Netflix subscription and the service is rumored to begin next month.

The move brings a much needed additional feature to Sony’s PS3, while giving Netflix exposure to even more streaming set-top boxes.

More than 9 million PlayStation 3 systems have been sold in the United States while Netflix currently has just over 11 million customers.

This will also make Nintendo’s Wii the only major gaming console without Netflix streaming, however, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has said that he would like the streaming service to be available on all three platforms.

Meanwhile, Hastings has also announced plans to take the streaming business international next year.

“We’re looking to the second half of 2010 to make our streaming offering international. The plan is to start small in one market, prove out our model, and expand into other countries.”

The company reports approximately forty-two percent of the its 11 million subscribers streamed at least 15 mins of content last quarter.

Source: TV Shark