Samsung's service was also apparently affected, according to users on Twitter.
Netflix said on its Twitter feed that it was aware that viewers in the U.S. and Canada are having problems streaming on some Sony devices, and said it would be back up soon. It reported hours later that the streaming issues had been resolved.
One viewer wrote that she was unable to access Netflix using a Sony Blu-ray player, and kept getting the message, "the network connection cannot be reached" despite being connected to the Internet.
Hulu also referred a user of a Blu-ray disc player to Sony as it said the consumer electronics company "is experiencing difficulties."
Some Sony Bravia smart TV users also reported connectivity problems.
Users suggested that the outage was because of problems with servers that handle streaming services.
Sony confirmed on its Twitter feed that it was aware of an issue and is working to resolve it as soon as possible. It did not specify the nature of the problem.
Samsung did not immediately comment. Its Smart Hub is a smart TV platform that lets users search and access content including apps.
Sony in Japan said it could comment only after checking with colleagues in the U.S.
It is not clear how many countries were affected by the outages, though users from the U.K., Argentina and the Netherlands were reporting issues, suggesting that the problem was not limited to the U.S.
Sony Pictures Entertainment was hacked last year and its online service PlayStation Network faced a distributed denial of service attack on Christmas Day, but on Tuesday there appeared to be no claims by any group that the Sony Entertainment Network, a hub for third-party streaming services to TVs and other devices, had been hacked.
[Tim Hornyak in Tokyo contributed to this report]
John Ribeiro covers outsourcing and general technology breaking news from India for The IDG News Service. Follow John on Twitter at @Johnribeiro. John's e-mail address is john_ribeiro@idg.com