The free Netflix 'channel' is available now from the Wii Shop channel in the USA as well as Canada, where the service launched in September. Nintendo also revealed that Wii's disc-based Netflix had been used on more than 3 million systems.

Both consoles launching downloadable Netflix applications on the exact same day lends support to the theory that the prior disc-based solutions were required due to an exclusivity agreement Netflix had with Microsoft, whose Xbox 360 has boasted a Netflix dashboard application since November 19, 2008. Presumably, exclusivity expired today.