Choosing what to watch at the end of a long day can be such a drag, there’s so many options, and starting something brand new feels like such a big commitment. So why not let the algorithms do the deciding? That’s exactly what Netflix is testing with its brand new ‘shuffle’ feature, currently available only on connected-TV devices.
The feature bases its selection on a few potential factors including shows or films similar to things the user has watched previously, media in genres the user enjoys, or content saved in the “My List” section. Shuffle exists to encourage users to keep engaging with different shows and returning to the Netflix ecosystem as their first option, and to alleviate the investment in choosing something to watch.
As it is being rolled out all over the world, the “Shuffle Play” button will be available to a portion of users in one of three places: underneath the profile row at start, the TV Menu sidebar, or in the “billboard” area of the home screen. Choosing the option will load up a random piece of content as selected by Netflix’s proprietary, entertainment scouting algorithms, and deliver it directly to the user.
This isn’t the first iteration of a random play option for Netflix. Back in 2019 the company rolled out a similar feature to Android users that allowed them to play a random episode of select TV shows. After these initial tests, the company moved on to begin testing of the “Shuffle Play” button, and hopes to enable users to cut down on time spent browsing and searching for something to watch.
Netflix isn’t just exploring “Shuffle Play” however; there are several other viewing experience tweaks being made to the platform all the time. Infamously, the autoplaying preview system for trailers and shows was another experiment of theirs, which resulted in sustained complaint from users who found the system obnoxious. Eventually the company admitted the system was not as well-received as hoped, and allowed users to disable the autoplay feature if they desired. So this testing phase does not guarantee that the “Shuffle Play” will eventually be standard for all Netflix users, but if the option is well received, users around the world may be able to let the numbers determine their viewing fate fairly soon.
Source: Variety
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