Netflix’s Hastings says no to joining Apple service

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has confirmed that Netflix will not be part of the new Apple streaming offering, details of which are expected to be unveiled next week.

Netflix co-founder and CEO, Reed Hastings

Speaking at a press event, Hastings said that Netflix’s goal was to have people watch its content on its own service, and that the streaming giant would not be integrating with Apple’s service.

Apple’s offering is likely to lean heavily on third-party content, at least initially. The tech giant is expected to unveil a content hub that will aggregate content from multiple partners

Netflix’s decision not to participate was widely expected. At the end of last year Netflix ceased allowing iOS users to subscribe to its service via the Apple App Store, cutting Apple out of its 30% share on subscriptions taken out through its billing feature. The SVOD service has also shied away from integrating its offering with Apple TV apps.

Hastings said that Netflix would perform best when competing with “amazing, large, well-funded companies” such as those now entering the video space.