Netflix may offer streaming-only plan by end of the year

Rather skip the DVDs and only pay for Netflix's streaming "Watch Now" videos? Well, that might be an option in the next year or so, according to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings.

In an interview with Bloomberg News, Hastings wouldn't reveal exactly how much a streaming-only subscription with Netflix might cost—only that such a plan could arrive "late this year" or in 2010.

That would presumable give Netflix time to shore up its catalog of 12,000-odd streaming video titles—not bad, but kinda puny compared to its library of 100,000-plus DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

Still, Hastings told Bloomberg he's well aware that streaming—not physical discs—is the future of video, and that "some point in the long term, the streaming will be good enough that an appreciable number of people will find streaming is all they need."

The Netflix CEO also revealed that he's pursuing streaming deals with the likes of HBO and Showtime, according to the Bloomberg story.

As it stands, you must be a Netflix by-mail subscriber to access the instant "Watch Now" movies, which you can view on PCs, Macs, various LG and Samsung Blu-ray players, and the Xbox 360.

The move makes a lot of sense—and indeed, I'm running into more and more people who do practically all their movie and TV watching over a Web browser.

So, here's the big question: How much would you be willing to pay? The cheapest by-mail Netflix plan that allows for streaming costs $8.99 a month, so I'm assuming a streaming-only plan would be cheaper. What do you think … $6.99 a month? $4.99? Fire away.

Related:
Netflix Chief Sees Streaming-Only Pricing by 2010 [Bloomberg]