HBO Max is taking some of the guesswork out of finding something to watch on its service with the introduction of a new shuffle play button.
Shuffle play is a feature that other streaming services have already introduced. Netflix is rolling out its “Play Something” button globally and last year Amazon Prime Video began testing a similar feature. But HBO Max’s shuffle feature will focus on individual series rather than pulling random content from the entire streaming library.
Available globally on the desktop experience, users can select the shuffle button on the series detail page for 45 shows including titles like “Friends,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Looney Tunes,” “Rick & Morty,” “Teen Titans Go!,” “Selena + Chef,” "Whose Line is it Anyway,” and more.
For now, though, the feature is only available on the desktop version of HBO Max.
“To best test and learn users’ preferences, we are initially rolling out the shuffle button on desktop only. We will monitor usage and hope to expand the offering on tablet, mobile, and connected TVs down the road,” an HBO spokesperson told Fierce Video.
Netflix has been one of the first streaming services to experiment with features that help alleviate some of the headaches for users who have trouble finding something to watch. The company recently tested a linear feed on its platform in France, but seemed much more inclined to deploy a shuffle feature.
“I think an even better example of that is a new feature that we've been testing and we're going to now roll out globally, because it's really working for us where our members can basically indicate to us that they just want to skip browsing entirely, click one button and we'll pick a title for them just to instantly play,” said Netflix COO Greg Peters during a recent earnings call. “And that's a great mechanism that's worked quite well for members in that situation.”