AdminIf you like the idea of watching Netflix movies and shows before they become available to the public, you’ll want to join the Netflix Preview Club: a group of subscribers who can see content early in exchange for reviews and feedback.
According Wall Street Journal (opens in a new tab) (by TechCrunch (opens in a new tab)), the club opens its doors wider. Currently, there are about 2,000 people registered, but in early 2023, this number will increase to tens of thousands, selected from around the world.
“Netflix is working to ensure that every dollar spent on content generates the highest level of attention and engagement among members across its 223 million global subscriber base, with streamers more closely controlling content spend and focusing more on profitability,” the report reads in the WSJ.
Needs more humor
The existence of the Netflix Preview Club – reminiscent of the schemes run by Amazon Prime Video and Hulu – was previously revealed by Diversity (opens in a new tab). The practice of getting early feedback on movies and TV shows is nothing new, of course, but it looks like Netflix is looking to expand its own system.
Apparently, more humor has been added to the 2021 Netflix movie Don’t Look Up, based on early viewer feedback. It broke weekly records for hours watched on the streaming service, and also garnered four Oscar nominations.
It’s unclear how people are selected for the Netflix Preview Club, but we recommend keeping a close eye on your inbox. Presumably, Netflix will want to make sure it gets a good cross-section of subscribers to hear feedback from.
Analysis: valuable feedback
While test shows are commonplace in the entertainment industry, it’s worth taking a look at how Netflix’s early reviews and opinions work. According to the WSJ, Netflix employees also play a role in reviewing content ahead of time.
The advantage of a platform like Netflix is the huge amount of user data: what people watch, how quickly they watch it, what they like to watch next, and even at what point in a movie or show people quit and stop watching something.
It’s all valuable feedback when it comes to making sure something is hit and not missed. According to a new report, developers are “usually able to decide what changes to make” – it doesn’t sound like they’re being forced to make any changes.
How much will be altered also depends on how much stock footage the production teams have at their disposal: retakes are expensive and inconvenient, so it’s unlikely they would go to the effort and expense to get them unless something has really happened negative reaction.
