Netflix is testing short-form content as a way to increase mobile usage

Shawn Knight

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Netflix has offered a mobile app for quite some time now but let’s face it, nobody really wants to spend hours watching a TV show or movie on a smartphone (unless it’s your absolute last resort). Heck, even a half-hour show can be a bit much on your phone. But a two to five minute clip? Yeah, that’s doable.

That’s the thinking behind Netflix’s latest experiment. According to Netflix design manager Dantley Davis, most users still prefer to plop down on the couch to take in the streaming service but there are a growing number of subscribers now logging in with their mobile devices.

The problem with that is the fact that around 87 percent of Netflix mobile sessions don’t even last 10 minutes. Translation: most mobile users simply don’t have the time or the patience to sit through full-length content with their mobile device.

To remedy the situation, Netflix is currently testing a solution to target these “quick hit” users whereby short two to five minute clips are being displayed on the Netflix mobile app homescreen with the tag line, “Have five minutes?”

The targeted clips vary in content including snippets from a comedy special, key scenes from shows the user frequents or highlights from movies.

Davis said it’s still too early to know for sure if they plan to expand the feature but early results have been very positive. And as PCMag points out, the feature could prove useful when combined with Netflix’s new social recommendation engine as a way to attract new customers or get existing users interested in other shows they might not have otherwise tried.

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