Google wasn't sure how much of a hit its Web-to-TV streaming dongle, Chromecast, would be. So to sweeten the deal, it included three months of Netflix for free. But Google has put a halt to the deal, only one day after the device debuted, because it was too popular.
Google told the Los Angeles Times in a statement, "Due to overwhelming demand for Chromecast devices since launch, the three-month Netflix promotion (which was available in limited quantities) is no longer available."
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The Netflix deal was quite the sweetener. While the Chromecast retails for $35, three months of Netflix's streaming service normally costs $23.97, and Netflix made it available to both new and current subscribers.
But less than an hour after the Chromecast was introduced, it was backordered by a week. And a day after Google unveiled the device, people were paying more than $100 for it on eBay.
It's not clear that the Netflix deal was driving much demand for the Chromecast, but this looks like a small misstep for Mountain View. It's generally considered poor form to offer an incentive and then snatch it away, like Lucy pulling away her football in the Peanuts comic.
Update, 4:11 p.m. PT: A source close to the matter at Google says that the deal ended because the company ran out of the Netflix promotional codes, and not because it was scuttling the offer.
