Calissa Jones
We’ve all heard about Disney+, a seemingly perfect addition to the world of streaming services, where Stars Wars, Marvel, and other timeless classics can all come together for just the small price of $6.99 per month. On the flip side, this also could mean the end of Netflix, or so critics say. The company behind Netflix, however, sees it a different way, not only because of its current advantages, but because of the game-changing new features they plan on releasing shortly.
In the past several years, Netflix has battled other competitors- Amazon Prime, Hulu, and other less popular platforms- and remained victorious, partially due to its massive library and thousands of options. In the new era of Disney+, this remains no different. According to one statistic, Disney+ will only have 20% of the content amount Netflix has available. With Netflix pumping out originals like Stranger Things, Umbrella Academy, and Bird Box regularly, this margin may even increase, giving Netflix an advantage in their variety of genres.
Genre isn’t the only thing Netflix plans on keeping open and different. As their new releases of Bandersnatch and You vs. Wild demonstrates, Netflix has recently been pioneering interactive content, a feature Disney+ is rumored to not include. While this may be a minor part of the whole process currently, this could lead to a later transition to an industry of a combination of gaming and watching that Netflix would dominate. In fact, Youtube is currently working on their own choose-your-own-adventure styled videos to compete against Netflix. Whether this becomes a reality or not is no matter, as Disney+, the main competition, does not yet have this feature, giving Netflix a sizable lead.
With new features comes new ways to find movies and tv shows, at least in the realm of Netflix. Just one week ago, Netflix announced it would be testing a new shuffle feature, which would allow users to play a random episode of a popular tv show, such as “The Office” and “Our Planet.” This feature can help users get straight to watching faster than ever, making it a must-have for all viewers.
The latest feature Netflix has created is one everyone has already been experiencing, though few know it. Ever notice the thumbnail of a particular movie change from day to day? That’s a direct product of an algorithm meant to help you find new things to watch. The idea behind it is simple; the computer calculates the most aesthetically-pleasing camera shots from the movie or show, places a specialized title overlay onto the image, and then decides which of these shots would be best for the viewer depending on the most popular genre in his or her viewing history. Okay, so maybe it’s not so simple, but this complex algorithm is definitely an asset for Netflix; the customized thumbnails bring a sense of unity to the whole platform, and looks are everything when it comes to online content.
In today’s age, streaming is the new form of television, and with the billions Netflix is raking in each year, it’s easy to see that competition is going to form. With this being said, Netflix isn’t worried, and viewers shouldn’t be, either. Competition generally brings lower prices, and as Netflix CEO Reed Hastings says, it’s likely to make each platform improve their own setups. In his words, “We’ll all learn from each other, and total streaming will grow faster because of the competition.” Netflix isn’t going away any time soon, and with new features to reel in the masses, viewing experiences everywhere will be better than ever.