Skip to main content

Netflix confirms it won’t be a part of Apple’s new video-streaming service

With just days to go before Apple unveils its much-anticipated video streaming service, Netflix has confirmed that its own service won’t be appearing on it.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings confirmed the company’s position at a press gathering in Los Angeles on Monday.

In comments reported by Bloomberg, the boss of the popular streaming service described Apple as a “great company,” but added that Netflix has chosen not to integrate with the tech giant’s upcoming offering.

Hastings told reporters, “We want to have people watch our content on our service.”

He said Netflix has always had to deal with “massive competitors [such as Amazon],” describing them as “amazing, large, well-funded companies with very significant efforts.” But he added, “You do your best job when you have great competitors.”

Reed’s decision to keep its distance from Apple comes a few months after Netflix ended the option that let people subscribe to its streaming service via Apple’s online store, an in-app transaction that gives Apple a sizable cut.

Of course, it doesn’t mean Netflix has slammed the door for good on Apple’s streaming service, but if it does choose to integrate at some point, don’t expect it to happen anytime soon.

March 25 event

All eyes are now on Apple as it prepares to unveil its new video streaming service at a star-studded event in California on Monday, March 25.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is expected to unveil a subscription service offering live TV shows, a slew of original programming, and content provided by partners that Apple has managed to ink a deal with, which could include the likes of HBO, Showtime, and Starz. As with similar services such as Amazon Prime Video, separate subscriptions will have to be taken out to view content from these third-party services.

Only a week ago, Apple was reported to be “racing to secure movies and TV shows to offer alongside its own original videos and is offering concessions to get deals done.”

As Bloomberg rightly points out, media companies need to decide “whether Apple is an existential threat, as some now view Netflix, a potential partner, or something in between,” with their decisions helping to shape the direction of travel for the market in the coming months and years.

For a more in-depth look at what to expect from Apple’s debut effort at a full-fledged, subscription-based video streaming service, check out this Digital Trends piece.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
This obscure Liam Neeson vs. James Bond movie is a new Netflix hit. Here’s why you should watch it
Pierce Brosnan and Liam Neeson in Seraphim Falls.

If you've never heard of the Western Seraphim Falls, then you're not alone. The film barely had a limited theatrical release in 2006 before it spent the better part of two decades in cinematic purgatory. Or at least that was true before Netflix added it to its film library. Now, all of a sudden, Seraphim Falls is one of the most popular movies on Netflix.

By itself, that's not too surprising. Liam Neeson has proven to be very popular with Netflix subscribers, and another one of his lesser-known movies, Made In Italy, is also currently in Netflix's top 10 movie list. But if you're trying to decide whether this particular Western will appeal to you, we're sharing three reasons why you should watch Neeson's Seraphim Falls on Netflix.
It features two action icons facing off

Read more
Has Apple TV+ become the new home of Prestige TV?
Callum Turner and Austin Butler stand near a plane in Masters of the Air.

Masters of the Air is the third and final installment in the trilogy of World War II TV dramas that Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg have been producing for well over 20 years now. Their efforts began with 2001’s Band of Brothers and continued with 2010’s The Pacific, both of which took home the Emmy for Outstanding Miniseries in their respective years. Both aired on HBO, which was seen at the time as the only place where expensive, truly prestige miniseries like them could be made. A lot’s changed since then.

Case in point: Masters of the Air isn’t an HBO production. The miniseries, which follows the members of the real-life 100th Bomb Group and their bombing efforts in Nazi-controlled regions of WWII-era Europe, premiered last week on Apple TV+. It isn’t any less expensive or star-studded than Band of Brothers and The Pacific. On the contrary, one could argue that it’s an even bigger series than either of those two dramas. Why, then, was Spielberg and Hanks’ most ambitious WWII miniseries to date made for Apple TV+ rather than HBO, the home of its two sister shows?

Read more
Don’t let these 3 hidden January streaming TV shows fly under your radar
Three men at a table in a bar, one looking ahead intensely in a scene from Sexy Beast on Paramount+.

Let me guess: You already have shows like True Detective: Night Country, Expats, and all those Chicago series on tap to watch in January. But new shows are coming out this month that you’ll want to add to the list. Available on streaming services like Peacock, Netflix, and Paramount+, these shows are very different from one another. But they’re all exciting new entries to the streaming TV space.

Two new shows are prequels to popular movies, Ted and Sexy Beast. One, meanwhile, is a new show starring recent Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh. What are they about? Here’s a quick rundown to convince you not to let these three streaming TV shows fly under your radar this January.
Ted (2023)

Read more