Netflix Mulls “Skip Intro” Button, Mobile-Friendly Cuts

By 03/20/2017
Netflix Mulls “Skip Intro” Button, Mobile-Friendly Cuts

This week, two separate reports brought two potential Netflix features to our attention. First, the company’s chief product officer said during briefing with journalists that mobile-specific cuts of streaming content could be on the horizon. Then, over the weekend, several Netflix users noted the appearance of a “skip intro” button that allowed the to fast-forward through the opening credits of a show.

Netflix chief product officer Neil Hunt said “it’s not inconceivable that you could take a master [copy] and make a different cut for mobile.” Such cuts would help out mobile viewers who may not be watching shows and movies in the optimal light of a living room. While Hunt did not note any specific plans to introduce alternatively-lit versions of Netflix content, he did say the company plans to explore that area in coming years.

The “skip intro” button, meanwhile, has already been introduced in A/B testing. Some users who have seen the button have praised it publicly on Twitter. “The ‘skip intro’ button on Netflix is so great,” reads one of the tweets shared by CNN, “[because] after watching the 12th episode in one day you get a little tired of hearing the song.”

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These potential changes remind us that Netflix, despite being an industry leader, continues to innovate new features. Netflix spokesperson Smita Saran told CNN that the streaming service runs “hundreds” of A/B tests each year.

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