Netflix to give option for Offline Viewing for it’s Subscribers

Speaking to American TV outlet CNBC before the premiere of its new original series, The Crown, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said the company is looking at giving Netflix an option for offline viewing, letting it’s subscribes watch movies while not connected to the internet.

The idea will be that users of Netflix’s app will be able to download movies to watch offline.

However, the company’s biggest market of the US might not be the first to receive the update.

Sarandos said the shift in the company’s policy has to do with the prevalent downloading culture that’s already a part of the audience’s behavior in the 130 countries Netflix expanded to including Uganda, at the beginning of the year.

“Now as we’ve launched in more territories … They all have different levels of broadband speeds and Wi-Fi access. So in those countries they have adapted their behaviors to be much more of a 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,” Ted tells CNBC.

For what it’s worth, it’s rival Amazon already offers offline viewing options for its Prime Video service.

When CNBC asked when the feature might be rolled out, Ted said the company is; “looking at it now and will see when”.