Netflix has recently proposed the idea that it may be available to people without internet. In an interview with CNBC, Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said that Netflix is working on an offline mode where you can stream TV shows and movies without needing internet. This news has everyone excited and hopeful because they can already do this now with Amazon and Spotify. They are downloadable and don’t need to be connected to the internet. Netflix has already expanded to over 190 different countries and continues to expand so for them to turn into a downloadable service, may be beneficial to many people in countries where downloading is the popular culture. Internet speeds and caps also hamper Netflix’s spread.
According to Sarandos, the decision to look into this technology was made after realizing many of these newly Netflix-capable countries have “different levels of broadband speeds and Wi-Fi access.” [Huffington Post]. “In those countries they have adapted their behaviors to be much more of a downloading culture,” Sarandos told CNBC. “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.” A lot of middle eastern countries don’t have wifi available everywhere the way western countries do.
This conversion may bring a lot more customers to Netflix and a lot of fun for people. There is no definite date for when this change would take place for fans of Netflix but it is definitely in the talks. Earlier in the month, Netflix mentioned their expansion to China and that it had failed. Maybe this new change will convince the Chinese government to allow it in because it is not necessarily going to be connected to the internet. Fans are praying for this to happen and people who haven’t been able to access Netflix are praying even harder.
Featured Image via Flickr/mikepetrucci
