Assuming you don't live in the UK, where the selection is pretty limited, there may be times when you can't decide what show or movies to watch from Netflix's library. To help find something enjoyable within all that content, the streaming service is introducing a new "video previews" feature for its TV app.
Rolling out worldwide today, the updated app will appear on certain game consoles and Roku devices first, with smart TVs and other platforms getting updated in the coming months. The company emphasizes that the previews aren't traditional trailers or teasers; rather, "they are specially designed video synopses that help members make faster and more confident decisions by quickly highlighting the story, characters, and tone of a title," the company said.
Stephen Garcia, director of product innovation for TV, and Chris Jaffe, VP of product innovation, wrote in a blog post that Netflix is launching more than 1000 hours of original content next year. "We know we have less than 90 seconds to capture someone's attention and get them excited about a title --- that's why we're introducing video previews into the TV browsing experience."
The news arrives just one week after Netflix introduced the long-requested offline playback ability for many streaming series and movies; something that executives only two years ago said was "never going to happen."
VentureBeat notes that the new interface is designed for big screens as the menu options and video preview must appear together, which is why the feature isn't being introduced to the mobile or tablet apps.