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Netflix Executive: Offline Viewing 'Never Going to Happen'

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Netflix customers hoping for offline viewing on their iPad or iPhone may have to wait indefinitely for the feature to be supported by the streaming service. Speaking to TechRadar, Netflix director of corporate communications and technology Cliff Edwards said offline viewing is "never going to happen."

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Edwards asserts that offline viewing is a "short term fix" that doesn't address the bigger issue of sparse public Wi-Fi access. In the next five years, Edwards believes the expansion of public Wi-Fi and cellular coverage will make the idea of offline viewing obsolete. With a ubiquitous Internet connection, customers won't need to download as they will be able stream all the time.

Instead of working to support offline viewing, Netflix has been focusing on original programming, with twenty new series planned for the coming years. The company also has been moving forward with 4K content and steadily improving its iOS app, recently adding support for iOS 8 and 1080p HD streaming on the iPhone 6 Plus.

Top Rated Comments

151 months ago
So this guy must have never flown on an airplane then ...
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
151 months ago
Torrenting is much better than your service.

If that's your attitude, isn't stealing always going to be "better" than paying for something?

No point in even bothering to try and compete with torrents, the people who aren't willing to pay aren't going to accept any paid option.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr Kram Avatar
151 months ago
To be fair, wifi equipped airplanes are becoming increasingly common.

good luck trying to reliably stream a movie on airplane wifi.
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
151 months ago
That's what VPN and torrents are for then.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GFLPraxis Avatar
151 months ago
So this guy must have never flown on an airplane then ...

To be fair, wifi equipped airplanes are becoming increasingly common.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
151 months ago
Except, in music at least, this isn’t the case, and those who download large amounts of music also buy more music than those who don’t.

Source please.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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