Netflix is making a big change to the way users can rate the films and TV shows they watch. According to a report from The Verge, the rating system will no longer be a five-star situation, where you can choose everything between whether you really, truly hated something or sincerely, bottom-of-your-heart fell in love with it. Instead, it will now be a thumbs system, where those are your only two options: thumbs up or thumbs down.
Netflix has wanted to change for a while
The behemoth streaming service has been looking to shake up the way its users rate media for over a year now.
Todd Yellin, Netflix’s vice president of product, says that “five stars feels very yesterday now.” So, last year, they started beta testing the thumbs up/thumbs down system and they found that 200% more users went with the thumbs rating system than the stars.
Yellin says that the stark contrast between the thumbs up and down, the high stakes of a “yes or no” type answer, “just adds a challenge” to the pressures of providing quality content, on which he says Netflix is “spending many billions of dollars” to produce and license.
Netflix is introducing another element to its service along with the thumbs up/thumbs down system. They will give you a personalised percentage alongside each title that will assist you in choosing what you watch.
The percentage is based on what you’ve given a thumbs up and what you’ve given a thumbs down in the past and how long you’ve left other titles on before giving up and how all those titles correlate with each other title in the library.
Netflix have a huge roster of upcoming titles
In 2017, Netflix will be releasing a new standup special every week.
They had a recent one from Amy Schumer called “The Leather Special” (in which she inadvertently condoned sexual assault), and they’ve got two from Dave Chappelle coming up this week, as well as two from Louis CK coming later in the year, another from Sarah Silverman, and many, many more.
Add to that Netflix’s ever-expanding roster of original Television shows.
The first season of Marvel’s latest, “Iron Fist,” has just been released to mediocre reviews from critics. The second season of their stellar romcom series “Love” has just come out and it’s fantastic (which is to be expected after the really great first season). The third season of “Grace and Frankie” is on its way and that’s exciting.
