Netflix may allow the users to download movies to watch offline, according to the company’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos. Sarandos revealed the plan to CNBC ahead of the premiere of a new show.
“We have talked a lot about this over the years and our belief is that broadband and Wi-Fi become more and more ubiquitous, available in more and more places that you are, more and more minutes of the day,” Sarandos told CNBC. After reaching a total of 190 different territories, including some of the developing nations where there is different ‘levels of broadband speeds and Wi-Fi access’, the streaming giant has decided to adapt to their downloading culture.
“So in those emerging territories it starts to become a little more interesting. We still think for the developed world our thesis has been true but I think as we get into more and more (of the) undeveloped world and developing countries that we want to find alternatives for people to use Netflix easily,” Sarandos said.
India, being a country with uneven internet speed, might get Netflix's offline feature. However, there is no timeline announced of when the feature will be available.
This is not the first time Netflix is revealing the probability of launching offline feature. In April, the company’s Chief Executive Reed Hastings said that it will keep an “open mind” about it. Netflix’s main rival Amazon Prime Video is already offering the offline feature. Interestingly, the offline feature may not be available in the U.S. The U.S. is Netflix’s biggest market, but the subscriber growth is slow in the country.
Recently, Netflix released its quarterly earnings report. In the Q3 2016, its quarterly sales passed $2 billion. The company registered 3,70,000 net memberships in the U.S. and 3.2 million internationally, making a total of 3.57 million memberships. This is much ahead of what it forecasted in the previous year.
In 2017, Netflix intends to release 1,000 hours of new original Netflix-produced shows. For the purpose, the company has allocated a budget of $6 billion on content.
