If you are the owner of a Netflix account, then chances are that you're not the only one benefitting from the subscription. You probably share this service with your spouse, friends, or family. The big problem with this is that TV and movie suggestions aren't tailored specifically to you - they become a composite of all the shows watched under the same account.
To resolve this issue, Netflix is launching a new feature this summer - multiple user profiles linked to a single subscription. Not only should the concept benefit Netflix users, but it will help the company to get a better feel for what certain demographics do and don't like. Todd Yellin, Netflix's VP of Product Innovation, said, "It's the revolution of TV. They used to send out a TV show and then they'd have no freaking idea who was watching it, how much they were watching ... it was just Nielsen diaries."
The company demonstrated the new feature at the E3 gaming conference in Los Angeles. Similar to signing in to a personalized Windows account, the user will be shown several different avatars at the start screen. Each avatar will represent a personalized profile, in which viewing preferences and content history is unique to the individual.
It is important to note that although there is a max limit of either five or six profiles (yet to be decided) on a single account, only two users will be able to simultaneously stream a movie or TV show.
The profile concept has been in beta testing for several months, and it is expected to become available before summer's end. According to Yahoo, Netflix is also in the process of developing a specialized 'remote control' app for iOS and Android that will enable users to navigate through the Netflix database using just their smartphone. However, this feature should take at least two years before it is officially released to the public.