Major makeover for Netflix UI
November 13, 2013
By Colin Mann
Online entertainment service Netflix has unveiled what it describes as the biggest update to its TV experience in the service’s history, a “radically new look” that makes Netflix on TVs a much richer and more immersive experience, according to the company.
The new design was created specifically for the big screen, featuring multiple cinematic images for each title along with a new, snappy description and more personalised detail on why Netflix suggests it. In a Netflix first, the new TV experience rolls out simultaneously across multiple devices that deliver Netflix to a TV screen, accounting for the majority of all Netflix viewing hours on televisions.
“Our members collectively watch more than a billion hours of Netflix a month – most of that is on a TV,” said Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt. “This is the biggest change to the Netflix experience on televisions in our history, making it even easier to find something great to watch on Netflix, bringing our members many more hours of Netflix enjoyment on their TVs.”
The new TV experience is delivered by a new Netflix software platform that runs efficiently on various devices, from low-powered set-top boxes, recent models of Smart TVs and Blu-ray players to high-end game consoles. Previously, each device had its own Netflix experience, which meant features took longer to roll out across devices.
“This new software platform will allow us to innovate even faster and continuously improve the internet television experience for our members across multiple devices,” said Hunt.
The new Netflix television experience launches on Netflix on 13th November and will be available to all members globally within two weeks. Devices that will support the new experience include PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Roku 3, newer Smart TVs and recent Blu-ray players. Additional devices, including other Roku boxes, will be added at a later date.
Writing in the Netflix blog, Chris Jaffe, vice president of product innovation, says that more than a year and half in the making, the new experience evolved through a process of design exploration, iteration and testing that extended throughout all parts of the Netflix TV experience. “We set out to deliver an update that would make it even easier to discover something great to watch and we think we succeeded,” he declares.
“We hope you enjoy the update. For us, this has been one of our biggest and most exciting projects and we are thrilled to finally share it with you,” he concludes