Offline viewing is never going to happen says Netflix

Video streaming is amazing, that we can all agree on, but there are always times where a stable internet connection is completely out of the question. Services like iPlayer, 4OD, blinkbox, and Sky Go all offer offline viewing for such occasions, but Netflix does not. It has no plans to introduce it either.

Speaking to TechRadar, Cliff Edwards, director of corporate communications and technology at Netflix, claimed that the feature is “never going to happen”. Why? Apparently Netflix is of the opinion that offline viewing is a “short term fix for a bigger problem”. The problem, of course, being limited access to high quality Wi-Fi.

Edwards believes that in five years time we won’t even need to have this discussion because there will have been a significant improvement to Wi-Fi infrastructure, especially on public transport.

Good? Bad? While it certainly would be nice to be able to download Netflix content for later viewing, Edwards does have a point. A decent internet connection is something that everyone could benefit from, especially since 4G has the capability to outmatch a number of home broadband services. Maybe if more networks offered unlimited 4G data we’d have no problems watching House of Cards on the bus. Some people on Three can right now, and we are all very jealous of them.