Netflix Getting Rid Of Classic Feature
Every now and then, major streaming services introduce a new feature that improves and enhances the viewing experience or the user interface. Conversely, streamers also remove features that are obsolete, no longer needed, or outright impede the aforementioned aspects of the service. With the most recent changes, Netflix is removing a percentage match feature on its titles.
Netflix is now dropping the match percentage feature completely in favor of suggesting new titles solely based on the use of the aforementioned tags.
For those who aren’t familiar with the feature, Netflix has experimented with a number of ways to match users with titles that adhere to the user’s particular tastes. Interestingly, this dates back to the days when streamers sent out DVDs. The feature translated to the digital platform when Netflix changed its business model and relied on various algorithms to somewhat successfully match particular titles with individual viewers and thus suggest similar programming. However, the company is now dropping the percentage indicator.
Despite making the news, this actually isn’t a major change on the front end and won’t affect the way in which the platforms suggest content. Previously, the algorithms calculated the percentage using tags connected to each individual title a particular user watched as a way of suggesting content.
There’s sophistication in simplicity, and Netflix decided on a new approach.
Netflix is now dropping the match percentage feature completely in favor of suggesting new titles solely based on the use of the aforementioned tags. And though it sounds like cutting out the middle-man in the whole process, the back-end changes are actually more significant.
Netflix previously used various “like” systems to gather user feedback and suggest other similar content. Initially, the platform used a star system, which was later replaced with a thumbs-up or thumbs-down option, which was later updated with a “double” thumbs-up rating for titles the viewers really liked.
In combination with the previously mentioned tags, all of these were factored into a match percentage. But there’s sophistication in simplicity, and Netflix decided on the new approach.
These tags will allow users to search for titles using a specific or a selected range of title tags when searching for content.
The new matching system will rely solely on descriptive tags, such as “visually stunning anime,” “award-winning dark movies,” or some other type of description. Interestingly enough, these tags aren’t generated by software but by a dedicated staff in charge of creating and assigning such tags to titles featured on the platform. The new matching will simply strive to cross-reference the tags between the titles and return those with the highest number of different matching tags.
Furthermore, these tags will allow users to search for titles using a specific or a selected range of title tags when searching for content. Other media websites and services, such as various comic book reading sites, movie archives, and even Steam, rely on tags to suggest content to their users and allow users to specify their search inquiries with higher precision. So, content suggestions won’t significantly change from the user’s perspective, but they will work differently behind the curtains to deliver similar content users might like.
The ultimate and definitive removal of percentage matching is yet to be determined, and it’s entirely possible for Netflix to slowly phase out the feature in favor of a new matching system in the coming days/months.
