Netflix has confirmed that it won’t participate in Apple’s new streaming service, set to be unveiled at the It’s Showtime event next week (March 25).
Speaking at a company headquarters briefing, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said that “Apple’s a great company,” but that “we want to have people watch our shows on our services.”
Netflix has worked hard to protect its own brand and has failed to integrate with third-party applications or services, outside of TV manufacturer software.
The company was one of the only content providers not to sign up for Apple TV and include features like ‘Up Next’, which helps Apple TV users see what content they’ve watched, and what the next episode is.
Because of this, it was clear the company was not going to get involved with Apple’s new streaming service, as it wants to keep users in its own ecosystem.
Netflix also removed the ability to subscribe to its streaming service via iOS, reportedly in an effort to bypass Apple’s 30% subscription revenue cut from in-app purchases, something Spotify is currently battling in a European court case.
Widely rumored to be premiered next week, Apple’s streaming service will feature original content as well as add-on content from cable providers such as HBO and Showtime.
The firm plans to let customers sign up for subscriptions to those services from within the TV app, and will take a cut of revenue from those subscriptions.
Amazon currently offers a similar service with Prime Video.
As well as letting consumers watch content from its library, they can purchase titles individually, and sign up for premium content through Amazon Channels, generating the technology firm millions of dollars a year.
When asked about Apple’s plans for a Netflix rival, Hastings said “you do your best job when you have great competitors,” no doubt signaling the start of a more aggressive marketing strategy for Netflix at a time when it must compete against Amazon, Hulu, Apple and Disney with its Disney Plus streaming service.
Steve Carell, Jennifer Aniston, and Reese Witherspoon are just some of the celebrities set to be in attendance at this year’s March event, where Apple will give us the first look at its new streaming service.
However, it’s expected that the service will launch later in the year, rather than in March, so don’t expect to watch original Apple programming any time soon…
