Netflix is making their rating system super simple. Much like YouTube and Pandora, Netflix will use a thumbs ups/thumbs downs rating system.
This will replace the 5-star rating system they have now. Netflix VP of Product Todd Yellin told reporters on Thursday that the company tested the new system with hundreds of thousands of members in 2016, and they were enjoying the results.
“We are addicted to the methodology of A/B testing,” Yellin said, adding that the thumbs got 200% more ratings than the traditional star-rating feature.
They will also be adding a new percent-match feature that shows how good of a match any given title is for an individual subscriber. For example, Netflix would say The Office is a 99% match for me. Shows that are below a 50% match for you will not feature a match-rating. It’s strictly for shows that would have already been recommended to you.
According to Yellin, the 5-star rating system worked great when Netflix first launched, but now they are seeing flaws in the system and users aren’t paying as much attention to the stars anymore.
