Netflix has added a new categories hub menu feature to help simplify finding content by genre on the platform.
Located in the left-hand menu on user profiles on the TV homepage, the categories hub is personalized with subscribers’ top 3 genres based on what they like to watch regularly, with the option to navigate to other genres. It also includes curated collections for holidays like Earth Day or International Women’s Day. The streaming giant already had an option to browse by categories, but in a single-line horizontal scroll that wasn’t as prominent as the new section (pictured above) which keeps users’ favorite genres flagged at the top.
“No matter what you’re in the mood for, what you don’t want is to scroll through endless rows or type in a long title via search,” Netflix said in the announcement.
It’s one way Netflix is working to make finding interesting content on its platform easier.
“At Netflix, we’re always looking to improve the member experience. We hope this new feature will make it easier to find your most beloved categories and explore new genres when you’re craving some adventure (or fantasy or musicals or…),” the streaming giant stated.
The categories tweak came last week after Netflix reported losing 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter, with expectations to lose 2 million more in Q2.
Netflix has been pumping out original content series, but according to Alan Wolk, co-founder and lead analyst at TV[REV], the focus on volume over quality is one of the fixable problems that the streaming giant needs to address.
In a recent column for Fierce Video he wrote that the thinking was something along the lines of if 200 shows debut and 5% are hits, that’s still 10 hits for Netflix.
“But the reality was that The Might Algorithm kept recommending all those Really Bad Originals to people, thus creating the impression that much of what was on Netflix was crap,” wrote Wolk. “Which, despite the presence of shows like Squid Games and The Queen’s Gambit, made it easier for people to decide Netflix just wasn’t worth it.”
Another recent tweak, aimed at gleaning more about which shows viewers really love and surfacing improved recommendations, was the addition of a double-thumbs-up option earlier this month.
“Providing an additional way to tell us when you’re really into something means a profile with recommendations that better reflect what you enjoy,” wrote Christine Doig-Cardet, director of product innovation. “For example, if you loved Bridgerton, you might see even more shows or films starring the cast, or from Shondaland.”