Video streaming pioneer Netflix Inc., has added an option where you can now download your favorite shows and movies on your mobile device to watch when you don’t have an internet connection. To attract more crowds, Netflix has been teasing about this option from a few month,s but introduced it Today. Netflix’s competitor, Amazon’s Prime video has had this option for an year. This step was taken by Netflix so as to decrease the crowd in online streaming and make it an attraction for customers. The new option announced on Wednesday is available for all of Netflix’s subscribers. It is believed to have a greater appeal in international markets like Africa and Asia where internet service is not omnipresent like the United States of America.
This is a very strategic move by Netflix as it has reached a saturation point in the United States. Netflix subscriptions during the third quarter of the year were 3,70,000 and only 4.3 million since last year. But Netflix has grown in the international market by adding 13.2 million subscribers including the 3.2 million after the third quarter. This is because of Netflix’s expansion from 130 to 190 countries at the start of this year. Netflix shares rose as much as 2.4 percent before it eased, up 0.1 percent to $117.62 on Wednesday on the Nasdaq.
Not all the shows are downloadable yet as they are still working on increasing the viewers and subscribers. But some of the shows like ‘Stranger Things’, ‘Narcos’ and most recent Queen Elizabeth’s story, “The crown” and many others are available for the download. Netflix launched in India this year and starts at just Rs. 700 per month.
Eddy Wu, director of product innovation, wrote in a blog post, “While many members enjoy watching Netflix at home, we’ve often heard they also want to continue their ‘Stranger Things’ binge while on airplanes and other places where the Internet is expensive or limited,” The Company said that Netflix download option will be available to all the Android users as well as iOS users in all the plans.
