Netflix has announced a new “two thumbs up” button, to better inform the company’s powerful recommendations algorithms.
The new rating option joins the current thumbs up and thumbs down button from today, and is reserved for those TV shows or movies that you love, rather than simply like or dislike.
By hitting the two thumbs up button, viewers will be telling Netflix they want to see more of the same, which should lead to better suggestions. The new button is rolling out on Netflix’s TV, web, Android and iOS apps from today. It will appear across the interface, on title pages, within the menu options for a specific piece of content and at the end of an episode, for example.
In a blog post, Netflix’s director of product innovation Christine Doig-Cardet wrote: “Consider Two Thumbs Up as a way to fine-tune your recommendations to see even more series or films influenced by what you love. A Thumbs Up still lets us know what you liked, so we use this response to make similar recommendations.”
“But a Two Thumbs Up tells us what you loved and helps us get even more specific with your recommendations. For example, if you loved Bridgerton, you might see even more shows or films starring the cast, or from Shondaland.”
Netflix introduced the thumbs up and thumbs down mechanism as a replacement for actual star ratings back in 2017. The company also shows viewers how likely they are to enjoy a piece of content with a match percentages, based on previous viewing.
“Five stars feels very yesterday now. We’re spending billions of dollars on the titles we’re producing and licensing, and with these big catalogs, that just adds a challenge,” the company said at the time, adding that thumbs up and thumbs down had “become the language of the global internet.”
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
