Over the summer it was leaked that Netflix wanted to let users download shows and movies for offline viewing. Now it seems that they are still working on the service.
Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said Netflix is “looking at [offline viewing] now,” but at this time gave no indication as to when it might release the feature.
Netflix is not the only service to jump into allowing downloading of their content. Amazon has rolled out downloading to more devices such as Android Tablets and their Fire Tablets. YouTube has also added downloading to their YouTube Red service.
This move makes sense on many levels for Netflix as they try to raise the number of hours viewed. Allowing offline viewing will help them drive up their numbers.
For the end user this could be a huge move to bring Netflix on planes, cars, and other areas where you don’t want to use up your mobile data.
However, there is a potential major issue for Netflix here. They currently do not have rights to allow downloading for offline viewing. They need to get content owners to agree to allow offline viewing. Many content owners may be unwilling to allow Netflix to offer downloads for fear of missing out on rental income from places such as Amazon Video and iTunes.
Source: The Telegraph
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