Shuffle is no longer available

Netflix banned shuffle because the shuffle feature was too unappealing. It seems most users don’t need or want help choosing. A technological obituary.

Anything that doesn’t perform well will be removed. Netflix not only follows this motto with series such as “Midnight Club”. The streaming service has also shaved off features such as random playback if the access numbers are not satisfactory.

This was Netflix shuffle

Netflix launched the feature in 2021. The basic idea was simple: Since there were more and more titles, the provider took its subscribers by the hand. Meaning: You don’t know what you want to watch today? Then click on this button and discover this.

But the calculation didn’t work out, according to a spokeswoman for Netflix The Wall Street Journal announced. The random display went offline in January 2023 because it was not used often enough – despite its prominent placement.

It is said that most users come to Netflix with a clear vision, rather than inspiration.

Surprise Me: Good or Bad Idea?

In view of the many streaming services, the question is not easy to answer. Because there are two common scenarios: people who cover as many services as possible with their own or shared subscriptions and others who consciously choose only one or a maximum of two.

In the first case, a feature like Netflix shuffle seems pointless. Because normally I know what I want to see and look for the appropriate provider via an external platform. As with shopping: shop, shelf, checkout.

If I consciously limit myself, I have to rummage around more. Because my selection is limited – for example to what Netflix offers. Then random playback can be interesting.

However, only if it is a highly functional AI feature that makes tailor-made recommendations. But that contradicts a purely random algorithm, which is why the function was hardly sustainable.

Netflix shuffle: It’s all about the experience

A big word in digital business: customer experience. As competition intensifies, companies not only have to offer their customers content, but great experiences around the use of the content.

But the streaming provider was recently not very customer-friendly. Netflix increased subscription prices last year. Later, the subscription with advertising came onto the market, which Netflix wants to bring to users with ominous practices. And now Netflix wants to prevent account sharing.

Netflix is ​​looking for the right position and the right ideas in the streaming market, which continues to boom. The spokeswoman knows that too: “We will continue to look for ways to offer our members more options and ways to discover content that they want to see”. The last part is significant: “which they wish to see.”

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