Netflix: we are not focusing on offering offline content

Netflix: we are not focusing on offering offline content
Online, all the time

Netflix has confirmed to TechRadar that it is not looking to develop a way to watch its movies offline, preferring to put its resources into creating the best online service instead.

Netflix came to the UK in February as a streaming service only, leaving the DVD side of the business back in the US.

Currently the ability to take your movies offline and view them when not connected to the web is not there and it looks as if it is unlikely this functionality will ever be delivered by Netflix.

TV still king

"There are some user cases where streaming isn't best used – like when you are on a plane with your device, but it is such a small proportion of the market it's not really beneficial to pursue this," explained Adrian Cockroft, Netflix's cloud architect, to TechRadar.

"We would much rather make sure that our main service is the best it can be."

Cockcroft revealed that while mobile devices are key to Netflix – on which offline functionality would be beneficial – most long form content was still watched through a television.

"The biggest way people consume Netflix is on the TV, so while it is nice to have a mobile version our users don't typically watch that many hours on it typically.

"We first started bringing streaming to laptops and then we finally went to the Xbox and this is when it really exploded and the whole thing took off like a rocket.

"Because all of a sudden you are sitting on your couch in front of your TV and Netflix is an option and you don't have to go searching for your laptop, and this is by far the most popular way to view the service."

To see how Netflix fares against LoveFilm, check out our video below:

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.