Why Isn’t Netflix Part of Apple’s New TV App?

Pavan Rajam:

As for why Netflix is opting out of this app, I have 2 theories:

  • Netflix views usage data as highly confidential, proprietary information. They don’t even share this data with their show creators, so there’s no way in hell they would share this data with a partner who, it could be argued, is trying to disintermediate them.

  • Netflix also doesn’t need help curating and personalizing their content library, they are already the best in the industry. Almost all of the other video apps need all the help they can get.

I suspect this is exactly right. Netflix doesn’t need Apple’s TV app to surface/suggest their content, and they almost certainly don’t want to share usage data with Apple.

Update: I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple and Netflix get this worked out. Netflix gave a statement to Wired saying they’re “evaluating the opportunity”:

Netflix comes as a bit of a surprise, though, as it’s long been a stalwart of streaming boxes, and was previously a participant in Apple TV’s universal search feature. The service didn’t appear in Apple’s presentation today, though, and the company has confirmed that it won’t be involved, at least at launch. “I can confirm we are not participating and evaluating the opportunity,” says Netflix spokesperson Smita Saran.

★ Thursday, 27 October 2016