All those families at home and trying to watch Elf on Christmas Eve may have caused a server meltdown for Netflix's streaming service. Well, the meltdown actually started just after noon Pacific time, and a spokesman for Netflix says the trouble was caused by Amazon Web Services, which provides servers for the company.

Netflix had its streaming services back up and running on Christmas Day. It's unclear how many hours the outage lasted in total, but perhaps some of you out there who were trying to test out your new iPad minis yesterday will know the answer to that.

Over the last year Netflix has been encouraging more use of their streaming service, with the hope of shrinking their DVD-by-mail service, which is more costly and therefore less revenue-generating.

[NBC]
[AP/SFGate]

Previously: Netflix Says FU To Pay Cable, Strikes Exclusive Licensing Deal With Disney