Netflix subscribers will soon have a new way to rate the shows and movies they watch. In addition to the “Like” and “Not for me” icons that viewers are used to using, they will now have a third option: “I love it”.
For nearly five years, Netflix has had simple “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” icons to express viewing preferences and help its algorithms provide better recommendations. Nevertheless, the platform which recently increased its prices now wants to go further. Rather than expressing your opinion on a film or a series by clicking only on “I like” or “Not for me”, Netflix will now give you a new additional “I love it” optionrepresented with two thumbs up.
Pressing the “love” button will tell viewers that they want to see more, which should lead to better suggestions. The new button is rolling out starting today on Netflix TV, web, Android and iOS apps. It will appear throughout the interface, on the pages of each series or movie, in menu options for specific content, and at the end of an episode.
Also read: Netflix – how the recommendation algorithm works
A “I love” button on Netflix for your favorite series
As Christine Doig-Cardet, director of product innovation at Netflix, explains, the “thumbs up” and “thumbs down” buttons are useful tools. The more often you use them, the more Netflix manages to personalize your profile and its recommendations according to your tastes. The problem is that your reactions cannot always be summed up with a simple “like” or “dislike”. Sometimes you’ll find something much better than anything you’ve seen this year, so Netflix has added this new “love it” button for that kind of situation.
Although this is just an additional button, the development of this feature would have started a year and a half ago, based on feedback received by Netflix through surveys and research interviews. According to Netflix, the goal is not to make user ratings more complex, but rather to allow viewers to let Netflix know that the content consumed was not just entertainment, but rather something you really love. The content that the platform will recommend to you thereafter will therefore be in theory much more relevant than it was before.
Source: The Verge