The same problem is occurring for me under Windows 8 Media Center, which you must purchase separately from the operating system. I have 6 copies of Media Center on Windows 8 and they all failed at the same time. NetFlix says it's a Microsoft problem and
there is no sympathy there.
My purchases of Media Center were in considerable part due to the seamless integration of it with NetFlix; this problem substantially diminishes that integration. The "single remote" is now a remote, and a wireless keyboard.
A fix to this problem shouldn't be a major issue for Microsoft, certainly there should be no problem with the cost of a correction, and there is plenty of talent on hand to do it.
There is a fully functional NetFlix Metro App under windows 8, and the search works there, but the experience is basically same as with any browser - a tiny bit better - but the Media Center remote is useless.
We watch Netflix as much or more than television, and this is not a good development. Please fix this as soon as possible, or let us know what is happening.