APPLE

I Thought Netflix Would Never Let Apple Put Them in the TV App Watchlist

I don’t have it yet, but others do

I can hardly believe it! Photo of and by author

Apple TV has a nice Continue Watching feature where it lists your recently watched shows from other streaming services in addition to its own. Most of those services allow this, though there have been holdouts, and Netflix is definitely the most annoying for me and my wife.

Update 2025–02–16: Nope. No deal. Not coming.

Netflix has its reasons. You might even agree with them that these were good and sufficient reasons. Apple TV is a competitor, albeit a very small competitor, but you know the bit about tiny acorns and big fat oaks that ruin your lawn with their roots, right?

Netflix wants to maintain control over its user experience, data, and engagement. That is, it would rather Apple and anyone else not know which Netflix shows are popular, which are often abandoned, which are repeatedly watched, and anything else Apple could deduce from the Continue Watching feature.

They also wouldn’t be overjoyed by Apple’s search abilities because users might be more likely to search for shows with Apple’s app instead of finding them in Netflix. Nor do they want to let Apple sell Netflix subscriptions and take money out of Netflix fees.