Netflix To Add Vertical Video Feature

By Roy Sotelo, Christian Post Contributor Friday, March 09, 2018

Last Wednesday, Netflix announced that it would be exploring vertical video for the better entertainment of users.

The update, which will include 30-second video previews for its shows and movies, will be arriving in April for smartphones. This was confirmed by Netflix's vice president Todd Yellin in a press event on Wednesday in Los Gatos, California, as told by The Variety.

Previews will be present on the home screen of the Netflix app. To watch the previews, users will have to tap on the circular icon of a show or movie and then swipe to explore other previews. The feature much represents the aesthetic of Instagram Stories.

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The vertical video feature has been part of the Netflix TV app since December 2016 but is only to be integrated into the mobile app now. Netflix has also announced that they will be presenting up to 75 previews at its launching, including Netflix original shows and other licensed titles.

Upon finalization of the app, more than a hundred titles will have the preview feature. Video editors hired by Netflix will be tasked to professionally cut and edit movie trailers for the previews.

"We look at conventional ways people use mobile and we take it to internet TV in a unique way," said Todd Yellin, vice president of product, as reported by Quartz Media. "We're super excited video previews, in an elegant way, will be coming to the phone experience."

According to Yellin, more than half of Netflix members access the streaming site through the mobile app at least once a month. Netflix said that the feature would launch on iOS devices first before being released for Android devices.

Reportedly, Netflix has been trying to integrate various social features into itself over the years. In fact, the entertainment company has also attempted to create its own social media network, but it did not push through when they saw that only two percent of its users would participate.