Mikey Campbell
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings on Monday confirmed his company will not sell subscriptions or offer existing content to customers through an Apple branded video streaming service expected for unveiling on March 25.
Hastings informed gathered press of the company's plans at a media event at Netflix offices in Los Angeles, reports Recode.
"Apple's a great company. We want to have people watch our shows on our services," Hastings said.
The move is unsurprising considering Netflix has yet to adopt Apple's most recent revamp of the TV app for iOS. Currently, the streaming service does not integrate with Apple's content hub, meaning content is siloed to the official Netflix app.
As Apple's plans for a competing streaming service began to materialize last year, Netflix slowly distanced itself from the tech giant's ecosystem. In November, for example, Netflix stopped accepting new subscriptions purchased in-app and consequently processed by iTunes. By channeling users outside of the App Store, Netflix is able to avoid Apple's customary revenue sharing policies.
Ted Sarandos, chief content officer at Netflix, said the decision was made to move away from App Store subscription fees because the platform was not an important revenue source, the report said.
Apple is widely anticipated to launch a video streaming product at a special media event next week. A report earlier today claims the company might have as many as 11 shows ready to preview at the media gathering.
While specifics have yet to be revealed, the as-yet-unannounced service is rumored to incorporate both original content and options for users to subscribe to other services. Speculation last year suggested Apple would make its own content available for free via the TV app, where it would also sell subscriptions to third-party services.
Apple's service is not expected to arrive until later this year, with the March 25 unveiling serving as both a teaser for consumers and reassurance for partner production companies.
AppleInsider will be covering the event live on March 25 at 10 a.m. Pacific, 1 p.m. Eastern.
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30 Comments
Well considering the service may be months away, its possible Apple hasn't started talks with Netflix yet, but with that said I think they want to compete, not join Netflix/Hulu/Amazon in providing service.
I would like it if Netflix content showed up in the TV app. I find it very convenient to just click the TV button on the Siri Remote and see most of what I’ve been watching lately. It isn’t uncommon for me to see a show there that I had forgotten I had been watching and then continue. It’s harder with the Netflix app.
Not to mention it annoys me that I have to select “Who’s watching?” every single time I open the app when there’s only one choice, me.
I hope Netflix and Apple don't fall out. I'd hate to see Netflix be lost to the Apple TV.
Hopefully they won’t start acting like Spotify. I.E: Embrace few or none of the platform specific features available to them, while simultaneously complaining about the high level of integration afforded to Apple branded services.
I notice Netflix still haven’t even embraced the “up next” feature in AppleTV.
In that case, I guess I will have to drop Netflix when Apple TV streaming package is released.