Having cornered the market for quality original program, Netflix is about to deal DVRs, Amazon Prime Video and PlayStation Vue a huge blow. The house that House of Cards built revealed that you and anyone else with a subscription can store television shows and movies on your device for when an internet connection is scarce. Put more plainly, you can watch Netflix without internet. That sound you hear is the Hallelujah Chorus playing in the background.
The entire video loving community burst into applause after the company confirmed that Netflix without an internet connection was a thing this morning on its corporate blog. Netflix is the world’s largest streaming video provider by far, if you judge by subscribers.
Absolutely anyone that has a subscription can watch Netflix without internet. The company isn’t rolling it into some new plan and forcing everyone to pay any extra. iPhone, iPad and Android versions of the app are getting the feature today, which includes a new download button on content that qualifies and a hub for getting a granular look at all the shows that qualify. Right now, the content is mostly Netflix Originals, CBS shows and comedies from NBC. The updated apps’ settings let you decide how much space the downloads take up.
I’m happy about this for a few reasons. One, I’m flying to the California area at least once a month for the next three months. Second, Amazon Prime Video has offered functionality like this on the iPhone and Android for a long time. Third, now I can finish Luke Cage on my own time.
Unfortunately, the Windows mobile version of Netflix isn’t getting the ability to store shows locally. I included that picture of the HTC Arrive from back in the day purely because I’m that guy.