Netflix Makes Major Change to TV App

Netflix has announced a big change to the TV app for the streaming service, one that personalizes the experience further for users. Confirmed in a blog post on their official site, Netflix announced their rolling out a Category Hub in the TV Menu for all members that specifically includes users favorite genres but also new categories of films, series and specials, that might appeal to their interest. The service notes that by adding these personalized categories they’re hoping users will save some time instead of scrolling through “endless rows” of content. They write: “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…).”

“Starting today, you can find this hub in the left-hand menu on both adult and kids’ profiles. There, you’ll see your personalized Top 3 categories based on what you love to regularly watch. This new immersive experience will also include curated collections to celebrate local holidays like Earth Day or International Women’s Day, as well as globally popular categories like anime, drama, and children & family for when you’re in the mood for something different. Think of this Category Hub as a more lively version of our old Categories row that’s tailored to your tastes and makes finding what to watch that much more simple (and fun!)”

The move of adding this personalized feature to users it one that is clearly been in the works for some time but it arrives as Netflix is having one of its worst weeks in years. The streaming service’s stock has tumbled after the company disclosed a major loss of subscribers in the first quarter of 2021 and predicted even more would be lost in the second quarter of the year

In their own letter to investors, Netflix made clear that their loss of subscribers in the first quarter was largely due to suspending their services entirely in Russia, resulting in the loss of 700k paid subscribers. Without taking that loss into account however, Netflix added 500k subscribers in the quarter, but they still predict that in Q2 they will lose upwards of 2 million paid subscribers. Should their forecast of lost subscribers in the quarter become reality that would mean the gains made by Netflix in the same quarter last year (1.5 million in Q2 2021) would be lost entirely.