Netflix Download Feature in the Works

Netflix is planning to unveil a new feature by the end of the year that will allow subscribers to download and view video content offline, according to a report in LightReading. Netflix isn’t talking, however.

From the report:

Following similar moves by Amazon, Comcast and others, Netflix is now working on a feature that will allow subscribers to download certain programs for offline viewing, according to industry insider and Penthera COO Dan Taitz. And Taitz thinks there will be a landscape shift when the new Netflix feature arrives.

"We know from our sources within the industry that Netflix is going to launch this product," says Taitz. "My expectation is that by the end of the year Netflix will be launching download-to-go as an option for their customers."

Industry gossip from a technology vendor is one thing, but Frost & Sullivan Principal Analyst Dan Rayburn confirms that Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) is developing a downloading solution and says that it's something of an open secret in the streaming video community…

For Netflix's part, CEO Reed Hastings said earlier this year that he was open to the idea of offering video downloads, but the company is still being coy about its actual product roadmap, unwilling to offer either official confirmation or denial…

Taitz at least has reason to hope that Netflix will launch its downloading option soon and create a wave of new demand for the feature. His company Penthera Partners Inc. develops video downloading technology with customers that include Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK), Charter Communications Inc. and Starz Entertainment LLC . While the company has been successful at attracting marquee clients, actual usage of the technology is still limited. Taitz says that Charter, for example, only offers a handful of shows for download each month, and many of those are from Starz, which requires a premium subscription.

Comcast's deployment is broader, but the company isn't sharing any consumer adoption numbers, suggesting that pick-up isn't high…

Despite what appears to be slow adoption, Taitz believes there's still a big future ahead for video downloading.

"I still view download as something that's emerging into the consciousness of consumers," says Taitz. "They know about downloads because before there were streaming services people downloaded movies and videos from iTunes, but they're not necessarily looking for download as a feature of their streaming service they're already paying for."

In other words, as consumer awareness grows, demand for content downloading should rise…

Read the entire article here.

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