The ability to download Netflix shows and movies for viewing at a later time may be arriving this year, according to a report. The chief operating officer of Penthera, a firm that helps with delivering video content to mobile devices, believes the major streaming service is going to reverse its
long-held policy of not offering downloads to its users, and instead will be permitting offline viewing of content for certain shows.
"We know from our sources within the industry that Netflix is going to launch this product," said COO Dan Taitz
to LightReading. "My expectation is that by the end of the year Netflix will be launching download-to-go as an option for their customers." The opinion is echoed by Frost & Sullivan analyst Dan Rayburn, calling it a "natural progression" for Netflix, and its a feature "we've been hearing for months."
A move to provide offline cacheing or downloads of shows would bring Netflix alongside competitors already providing such facilities, like Comcast and Amazon. Offline viewing would benefit viewers in multiple ways, such as watching a show when away from a stable Internet connection, or allowing those on lower-speed connections to cache the program completely before attempting to view, to eliminate buffering. Offering offline viewing would also involve more negotiations between Netflix and rights holders for shows, potentially making content more expensive to acquire, and also limiting the facility to shows it owns outright or those it can license for this purpose.
Earlier this year, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings claimed he was open to downloads, but the company itself is keeping quiet. "While our focus remains on delivering a great streaming service, we are always exploring ways to make the service better, a spokesperson told the report, noting "We don't have anything to add at this time."
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