Netflix’s app teams have had a big year, marked by recent redesign launches on iOS and tvOS. Now, during a talk at TechCrunch Disrupt, CTO Elizabeth Stone has announced three more changes coming soon to the Netflix app.
#1: Real-time voting for live content
Netflix has previously experimented with interactive voting experiences for certain series, but Stone said the company is now ready to go all-in.
When Netflix’s revival of Star Search airs live next year, users will be able to directly influence the outcome of the show via their real-time votes.
Here’s Stone:
“If you’re sitting at home watching ‘Star Search’ on your TV, you’ll be able to either on the TV or your mobile phone actually put in a vote that advances or doesn’t advance some of the contestants on the show…Viewers will be prompted on-screen and have a limited amount of time to rate performances. If you rewind or aren’t caught up with the livestream, you may miss the voting window.”
Prior tests of real-time voting showed strong viewer engagement from episode to episode, which has motivated Netflix to apply its learnings on a much bigger scale with the tentpole series Star Search.
The series originally ran from 1983 to 1995 and featured then-unknowns like Beyoncé, Britney Spears, and Adam Sandler. Netflix hopes its revival, boosted by the interactive tech element, can prove a hit.
#2: Immersive homepage experiences
For this new feature, Stone had fewer hard details to share. But building on the foundation of its recently revamped app homepage, Netflix plans to launch “immersive experiences” for content on its homepage.
Stone says these homepage experiences will “bring its content to life through animation and dynamic special effects.”
To start, Netflix has a new Halloween Collection immersive experience rolling out, and it plans to debut a Holiday Collection later this year. Further into the future, IP-based efforts will include a Bridgerton immersive experience, with more surely to follow if they prove popular.
#3: Redesigned kids’ profiles
Netflix is now rolling out revamped homepages for kids’ profiles on the streamer.
The new design is modeled after the previous redesign for adult profiles, but also adds some unique features intended for kids.
Sarah Perez writes at TechCrunch:
The new design simplifies the look and feel of the homepage. It also offers a new navigation bar at the top that links to “My Netflix,” a section that brings together everything kids have watched, saved, and loved in a single place. This makes it easier for users to revisit favorite content — something that younger users often do by rewatching their top movies and episodes.
Netflix says the new kids’ profiles are rolling out globally to all users, so you should see them soon.
How do you feel about Netflix’s recent app changes and announced new features? Let us know in the comments.
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