If you’re like me, then your Netflix app is probably littered with rows and rows of potential series and films that the service thinks I’d be interested in but have no intention of watching. Sure, I love a good crime thriller, but that doesn’t mean I want to have a row of only “Cop TV Shows” being provided for me. And for the life of me, I can’t figure out why Netflix gives me a whole row of the app devoted to “Mother-Daughter TV Shows.” Long story short, for all its algorithms, the Netflix app doesn’t always provide the most interesting suggestions. Well, moving forward, the streaming service is going to introduce a new row to the app/website that it hopes will always catch your eye. Get ready for “Top 10” lists.
According to a recent Netflix company blog, the service is rolling out a new feature that will put a specialized row on every account that highlights the Top 10 “most popular” programs on Netflix, as determined by your country and the company’s own internal data. Again, whenever we talk about Netflix and rankings, it’s important to understand that the actual data that goes into these sorts of “most popular” lists isn’t completely transparent. However, the company feels that this new row will provide a quick way for folks to see what’s popular and, thus, what content they may want to watch next. You know, to keep up with the water cooler discussion.
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Here’s how it is described by Netflix:
“This new row – complete with its own special design – will enable you to see what is most popular on Netflix in your country. It will be updated every day and the position of the row will vary depending on how relevant the shows and films are to you.”
In addition to the new row, content that ranks in the Top 10 will be given its own “badge” so that it is differentiated from the rest of the shows and films that the service throws in your face.
At this point, it’s unclear how the Top 10 will be calculated, as the company isn’t really forthcoming with much data and relies on wonky metrics such as how many people viewed the first two minutes of something. In addition, it’s also unclear if the Top 10 lists will include non-Netflix Originals, as we all know that series such as “The Office” continues to rank near the top of the most-watched lists. Although, Netflix hardly ever promotes non-Netflix Originals in its rankings, so we’ll have to wait and see.
All told, in a world where our Netflix apps push row after row of suggestions, the idea of a Top 10 isn’t that terrible. We’ll just have to see how it’s fully implemented to make our final judgment. The new changes are supposedly being introduced beginning today.