On Thursday, Netflix began rolling out the first major update to its television app in a decade, aiming to help viewers decide what to watch more quickly.
The video-streaming pioneer hopes this redesign will increase the time viewers spend on the app, thereby retaining customers and attracting subscribers to its new, lower-cost plans with advertisements.
Research by the company revealed that users often engaged in what Netflix executive Pat Flemming referred to as “eye gymnastics,” or scanning various parts of the Netflix home screen, in search of appealing titles.
The company plans to gather feedback and potentially make adjustments before a wider release.
Netflix has been focusing on engagement time as a key metric, describing it to investors as the “best proxy for customer satisfaction.
” Consequently, the company will cease regular reporting of subscriber numbers next year to shift Wall Street’s focus.
The TV app update includes moving the menu button from the left side to the top of the screen and adding a new “My Netflix” tab, which features shows or movies a user has started watching or saved to view later.
Netflix will continue to offer personalized suggestions to each user, and there will be no changes to its recommendation algorithm as part of the redesign, according to Flemming.
