Netflix has millions of subscribers in the handful of markets that it is currently available in, it is likely that many of those subscribers would like to have the ability to save content for offline viewing. There has been debate about this feature but the company’s position hasn’t been defined in detail. An executive of the company now says that Netflix offline viewing feature is quite unlikely to see the light of day.
These comments were made by director of corporate communications and technology, Cliff Edwards, in an interview with TechRadar. He said that “It’s never going to happen.”
Edwards further explains Netflix’s position on the issue. It believes that the bigger problem is Wi-Fi access and quality, terming offline viewing as the “short term fix for a bigger problem.” You may have heard that Netflix vehemently opposes the “fast lanes” concept that’s currently being aired by internet providers in the U.S. so its views on net neutrality are pretty clear.
The company is of the view that in five years from now the internet infrastructure will be improved so much so that there won’t be a question to ask about the possibility of offline viewing. That certainly sounds like the ideal scenario, but the fact of the matter is that until this aim can be achieved, an internet connection will always be required for whenever someone wants to access content on Netflix.
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