Netflix CEO Reed Hasting confirmed that his company will not offer its programming as part of Apple’s soon to be unveiled video streaming service. Mr. Hastings insisted he wanted to keep people on his company’s platform when they watch its content (via Re/Code).
Netflix and Chilled About Competitors
Speaking Monday in LA, Mr. Hastings said: “Apple’s a great company…We want to have people watch our shows on our services.” He seemed to embrace the prospect of yet more Netflix competitors too, with Disney set to enter the streaming space as well as Apple. He said: “These are amazing, large, well-funded companies … but you do your best job when you have great competitors.”
Mr. Hastings has said similar over the years as the likes of Amazon and HBO launched streaming services. He said that while those services have grown, so has Netflix. He has also pointed out Netflix’s focus on content, as opposed to tech. He said that his company’s $1.2 billion a year spend on tech, compared to $10 billion a year on content, means “we’re really mostly a content company powered by tech.”