Netflix has seen significant growth as it continues to be viewed as a disruptive innovation to cable companies. By combining a wide range of shows including hit originals such as “Stranger Things” with a very simple user interface, Netflix seems to be taking steps in the right direction. Although there have been some current issues surrounding a tax on Netflix services, the company is hoping a new feature will overshadow the scrutiny they have started to receive in the past few weeks.
Today, Netflix announced they will release a new feature that allows users to download shows and movies. Since video streaming can make a big dent in a family’s data plan, many users only use the service when connected to WiFi. Downloads allow users to watch the show while their device is on airplane mode. This provides user with more convenience such as watching a show on a plane or in an area with poor reception. An example of the feature is shown in the image below.
As a company with a subscription model, Netflix including downloads to their service could be very important to their long term success. Spotify, a music streaming service, also utilizes a subscription model that allows paying users to stream music as well as download songs for offline listening. It seems that Netflix is adopting a similar approach.
Unfortunately, the offline mode on Netflix will not include every video in its library. One of the main issues people have had with Netflix is the limited library of titles. Some users may be upset if their favorite shows or movies do not have the option for offline viewing. Since Netflix just launched offline viewing, people should give them time to continue to improve the feature by adding more titles. How much time does Netflix have to enhance the feature and allow every title to be viewed offline before users become upset?
http://www.businessinsider.com/netflix-launches-video-downloads-2016-11
It is great to see that netflix made this improvement to their services for many reasons. One this option is great for users that want to use it when traveling and don’t have access to wifi. From my own personal experiences, even if buses or planes have free wifi, they don’t allow you to stream anything. They restrict this so that you do not slow down the service for everyone else. So, with netflix releasing this feature, users will now be able to work around that.
The second important part of netflix releasing this feature is that they are showing their customers they are open to constant improvement and adaptation. When netflix came along, it quickly put the video giant Blockbuster out of business. Blockbuster did not adapt to the times and stuck to the same business model. Towards the end when it was struggling, it started to make changes but it was too late.
This is a great feature that I am very happy to see implemented by Netflix. I am also very happy to see that there will be no additional fees associated with this feature. I know it will be especially handy for my family–numerous times my family has gone over our monthly data plan due to my brother streaming too much Netflix from his phone.
There are a few catches to this feature, though. As stated in the original post, there are many TV shows and movies that are not able to be downloaded. Which I think is understandable, and not that big of an issue–Netflix likely has to renegotiate its contracts with content providers, notably Disney. One of the bigger catches is that you can only have a title downloaded for 48 hours after beginning to watch it, or you will have to re-download it. This could be an issue if you’re going to be without internet or data access for more than a few days. However, it is necessary in order to combat piracy. Another issue could be that downloading multiple movies and TV shows could potentially take up a lot of space on your device. I know many people have iPhones and iPads with the lowest storage option, and they often run out of space on their devices. If your phone is already nearly filled with music/apps/pictures, you may not be able to take advantage of this new feature.
All in all, I think that this is a great move by Netflix, especially since it will have any additional cost to users. I can definitely see my self taking advantage of this at times when I want to watch Netflix without internet access, but I don’t want to use up my family’s data plan.
http://www.dentonrc.com/entertainment/entertainment-headlines/20161203-netflix-now-allows-downloads.ece
Just when I thought Netflix was on the decline – not having as many TV shows, movies, and documentaries as people would like and the tax issues that have been going on for the past couple weeks, they take a huge step in the right direction. As technology is improving, more and more things are becoming accessible at the touch of our fingers which leads to more and more data being used. For Netflix to now allow their users to download content off their servers is a great idea. I can only imagine the use of Netflix by it’s everyday users is going to sky rocket. As soon as I read this post, the first thing that came to my mind is traveling. I can think of a dozen times where I was on a trip and I wanted to watch a show or movie on Netflix but the cell service was not strong enough to allow me to do so. Now with Netflix allowing you to download content from their services, watching Netflix movies on long car rides or even when flying in an airplane, Netflix will be accessible any where, any time! It is going to be very interesting to see how effective this is for Netflix. Will there be technology issues when downloading? How long will downloading take? And once I do download a movie or TV show, how much storage is that going to take up? Again, I will be very interested to see how all of this plays out.
I believe this was a brilliant move by Netflix to add the new download feature so users can still view their favorite titles offline. Not only is this feature going to save Netflix users tons of money since they will not have to be using data, but the feature is being added on for no extra charge for users to download. I like how you brought up the fact that there are only limited titles and series that a user can download as of now. As a user of Netlfix, I am constantly complaining that there are more bad movies and TV shows on it than there are good ones, so selection is already rough. However, I do not believe users will be upset about which titles and shows they will be able to download because it is a free feature and Netflix plans to add more. With all of that being said, I believe more and more companies that do streaming services will eventually add this feature or lose users to companies that do.
Source:
http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2016/11/netflix_adds_download_feature.html
I think the move to a system in which you can download movies and shows for offline viewing was inevitable. I don’t think that Netflix customers are necessarily upset that not every show is available. The streaming service is already extremely popular and I imagine the introduction to offline viewing won’t bring in a large number of new users and people that were unhappy with Netflix prior to this are probably still unhappy. I think the newly introduced technology is a large quality of life update. Maybe I’m in the minority but I don’t see this as the biggest game changer for the company. I use Spotify and share a premium account with my brother and I can confidently say we’re not the biggest users of the offline listening features. I do think, however, that the Netflix offline viewing feature will see a lot more use due to the size of shows and movies compared to music. Only time and the progress of the feature will reveal its impact on the company and the industry.