Netflix doesn't have to do much to get people around the world excited, as the streaming service provides more round-the-clock viewing entertainment than most other companies. It used to matter very much where consumers were located in order for 24/7 binge sessions to even be attempted, but now the game has been completely changed, and absolutely for the better. Netflix has finally announced it has started to allow its millions of subscribers to download content for offline viewing. I'm totally going watch Gilmore Girls' "Winter" episode in Antarctica now, because I can.
Thankfully, the only waiting you'll be doing before downloading your first TV show (or movie) from Netflix will come as you're opening the app, since the big announcement coincided with millions of mobile devices updating to incorporate the app's new "download" option for each show and its episodes. (I won't get mad if you try it out, and you'll be welcomed with a new message if your device did indeed recently update.) Now, since this is just being rolled out today, it should be stated right away that you won't initially find the entirety of Netflix's TV and movies catalog available for download, though there are indeed many comedy specials and films already set, as well as original favorites like Narcos, Stranger Things and Orange is the New Black. This news got me feeling some kinda Pennsatucky way.
Offline viewing is the rare area of the streaming world where Netflix was playing catch up, as streaming rival Amazon has allowed its Prime users to download TV series and movies for quite a while now. What's more, the streaming giant has actually been vocally against implementing offline viewing in the past, though there were signs earlier this year that things were possibly headed in this promised land of a direction. (This subscriber-drawing change was possibly used in justifying all the gigantic bags of money being dropped on projects like Dave Chappelle's new comedy specials.) Regardless of how the decision came to be, I'm happier than a Bluth in...well, the Bluths aren't very happy all that often.
There are a ton of great shows that have recently premiered on Netflix, not to mention everything showing up in the future, that audiences will love to save on their devices for a rainy, Internet-destroying day. For instance, the British royalty drama The Crown debuted earlier this month, as did the Brazilian thriller 3%. And we'll soon get to see the Mythbusters spiritual successor White Rabbit Project, the talk show Bill Nye Saves the World, the Green Gables-y drama Anne, the reboot for Lost in Space and much, much more. Before diving into the downloading, though, make sure you don't have any frivolous files taking up excess space on your mobile devices, like family pictures and songs you love.
Now that you'll be able to basically secure access to just about anything in Netflix's library, you'll soon have no excuse for not having caught up with House of Cards or BoJack Horseman. To see what you'll be busy downloading next year, check out our 2017 schedule for the streaming service.
