Offline viewing is something that Netflix subscribers have long hoped for, as it’s difficult to stream movies or TV shows while you’re in the car or plane. Well, their request has always been downplayed by Netflix. However, a recent report says the company is working on a “download-and-go” video feature following similar moves by Amazon, Comcast and others.
The information comes from communications trade company LightReading, which cites both the COO of Penthera and a Frost & Sullivan analyst confirming the rumor. “We know from our sources within the industry that Netflix is going to launch this product. My expectation is that by the end of the year Netflix will be launching download-and-go as an option for their customers,” said Penthera COO Dan Taitz.
Well, of course, Netflix hasn’t announced any such plans yet, but it has been indicated in the past that the company is at least open to an idea like that. Given the customer demand and growing competition with services, as well as the evolution we’ve seen in Netflix, it won’t be a surprise if the company launches an offline feature.
Dan Rayburn, Principal Analyst with Frost & Sullivan said “It’s a natural progression for Netflix to want to have some of their content available for consumers to watch offline, and we’ve been hearing for months now that they are in fact going to roll something out soon,” with the latter saying it’s something of an “open secret” in the streaming-video community. However, Netflix spokesperson Anne Marie Squeo told LightReading that they “don’t have anything to add at this time.”
Netflix may bring the feature but it’s still not sure whether we are going to see the feature available in any broad sort of way. There is no doubt that not all the contents from Netflix will be “download-and-go,” but it’s logical to assume that the first among any offline offerings are launched will be Netflix’s own original contents.
