Big Brother is always watching
It’s not just you, the thumbnails across your Netflix homepage are changing.
But not by random.
Netflix have admitted that they’ve been watching our viewing choices and changing the thumbnails to direct our attention to other content we might like.
They explain more in their a recent entry on The Netflix Tech Blog:
“The artwork may highlight an actor that you recognize, capture an exciting moment like a car chase, or contain a dramatic scene that conveys the essence of a movie or TV show. If we present that perfect image on your homepage (and as they say: an image is worth a thousand words), then maybe, just maybe, you will give it a try.”
“Let us consider trying to personalize the image we use to depict the movie Good Will Hunting. Here we might personalize this decision based on how much a member prefers different genres and themes. Someone who has watched many romantic movies may be interested in Good Will Hunting if we show the artwork containing Matt Damon and Minnie Driver, whereas, a member who has watched many comedies might be drawn to the movie if we use the artwork containing Robin Williams, a well-known comedian.”
Netflix also explain that images make up 82 per cent of a users’ focus while browsing the service but that that the window for getting someone’s attention is pretty short as users spend an average of just under two seconds looking at thumbnail.
Hence the need for some fancy-pants targeting with their image choice.
Image: Getty
Written by Ally Parker
