TORONTO – BlackBerry users who double as Netflix subscribers will not be watching the latest episode of House of Cards on their mobile device any time soon.
Netflix has chosen to forgo the BlackBerry platform all together, confirming to tech website AllThingsD the company has “no current plan for a BlackBerry app” for the time being.
According to the report by AllThingsD, the company did not specify their reasoning behind the decision not to develop a BlackBerry app, but a smaller user base may have played a key part.
“The BlackBerry 10 user base isn’t yet large enough to compel Netflix to support it in the way that Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platforms have (Windows Phone, Too),” read the report.
“In other words, the operating costs of developing and maintaining an app for a low-volume platform like BlackBerry 10 outweigh any potential benefits.”
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The BlackBerry Z10, the first of BlackBerry’s two new smartphones, has been selling well in Canada. Wireless providers Bell, Telus and Rogers all have reported a growing demand for the Z10.
At the BlackBerry 10 launch event in January the Canadian smartphone maker boasted of key apps like as Skype and Angry Birds making their way to the BlackBerry World store – but some big name apps, like Netflix, were obviously missing.
Though some experts noted that a selection of 70,000 apps at launch was commendable, the lack of popular Android and iPhone apps raised concerns.
“On one hand 70,000 apps on a new platform is unheard of – that’s amazing. But they are generally missing some of the big ones like Instagram, Netflix, or Flipboard,” tech expert Marc Saltzman told Global News at the BlackBerry 10 launch in January.
Mashable previously reported that sources close to Instagram said that the company has no plans to develop a native BlackBerry app; however, Mashable noted that Instagram may port its Android app to the BlackBerry World store depending on its performance.
In January a BlackBerry spokesperson said the company was “in talks” with both Netflix and Instagram, but never specified when the apps would make their way to the store.
Global News contacted BlackBerry who had this reply.
“We’re committed to bringing top titles from around the globe to BlackBerry 10 customers. At this time, it’s in Netflix’s court to join the excitement around BlackBerry 10 – we hope they choose to bring a BlackBerry 10 experience to their customers. We’d love to have them.”
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