The company have released a statement.
After revolutionising how we consume media, one of the main advantages of Netflix and Sky+ is the fact that they allow people to skip adverts.
Granted, we’re all eager to watch our favourite TV shows/films in a manner that’s uninterrupted but Netflix has become so popular that the term ‘binge-watching’ has taken on a whole new meaning.
Given the addictive nature of most TV shows, viewers have absolutely no time for adverts as they want to skip ahead to the next episode but Netflix have started to test promo videos that will play in between episodes of shows that a viewer is streaming.
The online streaming giant has confirmed the news to TechCrunch and these promos are full-screen videos, personalised to the user, featuring content that Netflix would have otherwise suggested elsewhere in its user interface.
The promos also displace the preview information for the next episode that’s being binged, like the title, description, and thumbnail that previously appeared on the right side of the screen.
That is currently a test being run. It may or may not be fully implemented in the future. Your valuable feedback is much appreciated! *BT
— Netflix CS (@Netflixhelps) August 17, 2018
Netflix released the following statement about this update:
“At Netflix, we conduct hundreds of tests every year so we can better understand what helps members more easily find something great to watch. A couple of years ago, we introduced video previews to the TV experience, because we saw that it significantly cut the time members spend browsing and helped them find something they would enjoy watching even faster. Since then, we have been experimenting even more with video based on personalised recommendations for shows and movies on the service or coming shortly, and continue to learn from our members.
It adds: “In this particular case, we are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster. It is important to note that a member is able to skip a video preview at anytime if they are not interested.”
At present, it’s reported that Netflix has no plans to roll out this feature to all of its subscribers and that this test is currently live for only a small percentage of their global audience.
Also, as Netflix state, it should be noted that the test in question does allow users to push the ‘Continue’ button at any time to move forward to the next episode.
This being said, since the new features was rolled out, some users have found the experience to be a bit jarring.
@netflix, I don't need ads in between episodes.
— Stacey (@stascream) August 17, 2018
.@netflix make it stop! Make the ads after a show I watch stop!!!
— Frank Remley (@FrankRemley) August 17, 2018
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