Netflix enables downloads of select content for offline viewing on iOS, Android

AppleInsider

Netflix has deployed the ability to download select TV shows and movies from its catalog, with most of the initial offerings coming from the company's unique programming.

Netflix has announced that "Stranger Things," "Orange is The New Black," "Narcos" and "The Crown" are available for download today. After users update the Netflix app, a "download now" button is available on content with downloads enabled.

Users can download in smaller file size "standard" and "higher" quality options, but Netflix has not as of yet provided technical details on the resolutions or bit rates of the downloaded video categories.

AppleInsider has contacted T-Mobile regarding if downloads for offline viewing would count against data caps, or be somehow down-sampled through the "Binge On" initiative, and has not as of yet received a response.

Netflix has historically denied that it was planning on downloads for offline viewing, but Amazon's recent addition of the feature with its streaming video service may have been an impetus to allowing it.

Netflix promises more titles will be made available for download soon. The new download feature is included in all plans and available for phones and tablets on Android and iOS.

tnewton50

Netlfix has horrible deal makers!

williamh

I'm sure the original shows are great, but it seems like their catalog of movies and shows is really stale. Same with Amazon Prime and Hulu, for that matter.

westbyfleet

A grammatical observation: "as of yet" is an interesting mash-up. Surely either "as of now" or "yet"?

chris j

Just updated the app. there's more than just those 4 available (uk version) - in fact a whole section of "available for download" content. Pretty much all of the netflix originals have a download button (incl Black Mirror, and House of cards for example). Also Breaking Bad, House, and a bunch of movies.

edited November 2016

macpro

williamh said:

I'm sure the original shows are great, but it seems like their catalog of movies and shows is really stale. Same with Amazon Prime and Hulu, for that matter.

I agree for movies it's best to go the movies or rent on iTunes when they come out.  However, Netflix is awesome for TV series you didn't see though and there are so many made for Netflix shows now that are production wise better than many traditional movies.  Amazon's TV shows are great  and their in house material too, frankly I feel spoiled and no bloody commercials at 10x the volume.  The Good Wife is my latest binge on Amazon Prime and True Blood is very cool too.  My only issue with Amazon is the lack of the 'Who is watching' interface Netflix has.  My wife already watched all of the Good Wife and I can find no way to clear the already watched info so never know what damn show I'm up to.  If anyone knows how ...  help out here will ya?

edited November 2016

macpro

westbyfleet said:

A grammatical observation: "as of yet" is an interesting mash-up. Surely either "as of now" or "yet"?

American English is for the most part a 'mash-up'.

In all seriousness (and I get riled up too by bad grammar at times 'I could care less' for example).   I watch this once in a while to cool down ...

edited November 2016

anantksundaram

AppleTV continues to bleed slowly but surely on attributes that make it unique relative to competition...

gatorguy

williamh said:

I'm sure the original shows are great, but it seems like their catalog of movies and shows is really stale. Same with Amazon Prime and Hulu, for that matter.

Yes, many of the original show ARE great. That's what I use Netflix the most for. 

anantksundaram

sog35 said:

anantksundaram said:

AppleTV continues to bleed slowly but surely on attributes that make it unique relative to competition...

such as? related to this article?

I am sure you'll figure it out...

mike1

Cool. I use this feature quite a bit with Amazon while traveling. Can watch on planes and don't need to upgrade the wi-fi in hotels.

linkman

I just wonder why Netflix and Amazon won't make their entire catalog available for offline viewing? I understand that there are probably contracts that don't allow it, but why write that into the contract in the first place? What are they afraid of and/or how is it so different from streaming content? Since the content is protected by DRM it can have an expiration date that wouldn't allow viewing after the master content licenses or viewer subscriptions expire.

anantksundaram

linkman said:

I just wonder why Netflix and Amazon won't make their entire catalog available for offline viewing? I understand that there are probably contracts that don't allow it, but why write that into the contract in the first place? What are they afraid of and/or how is it so different from streaming content? Since the content is protected by DRM it can have an expiration date that wouldn't allow viewing after the master content licenses or viewer subscriptions expire.

Storage might be the issue, esp. since there are many device types -- AppleTV/Roku etc., cable company DVR, computers, phones, tablets -- and each one may have a different constraint?

noivad

digitalclips said:

westbyfleet said:

A grammatical observation: "as of yet" is an interesting mash-up. Surely either "as of now" or "yet"?

American English is for the most part a 'mash-up'.

In all seriousness (and I get riled up too by bad grammar at times 'I could care less' for example).   I watch this once in a while to cool down ...

It looks more like an editing induced error: changing “not yet” to “as of now” or vice versa.

zoetmb

linkman said:

I just wonder why Netflix and Amazon won't make their entire catalog available for offline viewing? I understand that there are probably contracts that don't allow it, but why write that into the contract in the first place? What are they afraid of and/or how is it so different from streaming content? Since the content is protected by DRM it can have an expiration date that wouldn't allow viewing after the master content licenses or viewer subscriptions expire.

Those contract negotiations can be quite difficult and content providers want a lot more money if downloading is permitted, if they allow it at all.   So Netflix and Amazon have to say to themselves, "where there be any incremental revenue if we pay extra money for this right?"   Also, many contracts have a "most favored nation" clause where you can't sell to anyone else with a better deal.  So if the content provider lets Netflix or Amazon users to download, they have to let everyone else download as well for whatever Netflix or Amazon negotiated to pay.

While you or I may see no real difference between streaming and downloading (what's the difference if I watch from a stream or whether the data is temporarily loaded to my device?), content owners are less comfortable.   That will change over time (or won't, if people find ways to hack the downloads so they can keep them.)

The other issue is that if they go back and try to negotiate the downloading rights as amendments to existing contracts, it opens up the entire contract for re-negotiation and they generally don't want that because as a company becomes more successful, the content owners want a better deal.  And even that wasn't the case, it takes resources to obtain the additional rights:  business people to negotiate the terms, management to approve, lawyers,  etc.   In many companies, the Finance department also has to approve all deals and amendments.    

That's why they've begun with content they completely already own the rights to.  And it's also easier to do this for new deals than it is to go back and renegotiate the existing ones.    

I consult for a company that develops enterprise-level rights management applications and it's really shocking how complicated every company makes this process.   Each company could take tens of millions of dollars of cost out of the process if they would just standardize things a bit, but each company sees their own convoluted internal process as a 'competitive advantage'.   I see it as absurd inefficiency.   We can barely get different cable channels within the same corporation to agree upon genre headings.  We tend to think of the publishing industry as "old school" and these content companies as future-looking, but the publishing industry has actually done a great job of incorporating industry-wide standards into the entire business chain, beginning with the implementation of the ISBN around 1966, although they can be almost as complex as the media industry when it comes to contractual rights. 

gatorguy

zoetmb said:

linkman said:

I just wonder why Netflix and Amazon won't make their entire catalog available for offline viewing? I understand that there are probably contracts that don't allow it, but why write that into the contract in the first place? What are they afraid of and/or how is it so different from streaming content? Since the content is protected by DRM it can have an expiration date that wouldn't allow viewing after the master content licenses or viewer subscriptions expire.

While you or I may see no real difference between streaming and downloading (what's the difference if I watch from a stream or whether the data is temporarily loaded to my device?), content owners are less comfortable.  

As a side-note there's a huge difference between the two from a legal standpoint when accessing content on websites. Viewing movies/video via streaming will not be subject to claims of copyright infringement on your part even if the original source was not authorized (ie stole it) to make it available. Download the same content and you are taking a chance of paying significant financial penalties for doing so it a claim is made by the copyright holder.