With iOS or Android device, it would be possible for you to watch some of your favorite movies and TV shows offline. As announced by Amazon on Tuesday, the company is now letting users download movies and TV shows for offline viewing through their Amazon Video iOS and Android apps. Though such process is considered common in music streaming services like with Spotify and Apple Music, this would be historical on the aspect of legit video services.
Now such move may be alarming for competition and other giants in the online video streaming industry. The likes of Netflix who capitalizes on online movie streaming would be challenged by this bold move of amazon. However, Netflix's Director of Corporate Communications, Cliff Edwards, already answered such business strategy last year thru Tech Radar. According to the company's director, offline viewing was "never going to happen," and considers Amazon's move only as "a temporary solution for the larger problem of limited Wi-Fi availability."
However, movie buffs should not get too excited. Aside from the fact that Amazon Instant Video only has around 40,000 titles available on their database, "the offline viewing feature is only enabled for a subset of its larger catalog." According to techcrunch "Amazon original such Bosch, Transparent, Mozart in the Jungle, Wishenpoof!, Tumble Leaf and Creative Galaxy, are included, but the company says that other series and movies are also available including a ton of popular shows like 24, Covert Affairs, Downton Abbey, Extant, Grimm, Hannibal, Justified, Mr. Selfridge, Orphan Black, Sons of Anarchy, Teen Wolf, The Americans, The Good Wife, Suits, Under the Dome, Veronica Mars, and Vikings, as well as HBO series like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, Girls, Veep, The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, The Newsroom, and True Blood."
Now for a person who uses torrent and video downloaders to watch movies offline, the news would be insignificant. But for a person who is in constant travel and relies only on wi-fi for visual entertainment, this move of Amazon would be of great use and advantage.
