How Netflix's new 'Two Thumbs Up' feature works, according to a product exec who says it'll improve movie and TV recommendations
- Netflix launched a new "Two Thumbs Up" feature on Monday allowing users to "love" titles.
- It's meant to improve the content that Netflix recommends to viewers.
Netflix introduced globally on Monday a new feature that lets users "love" a movie or TV show rather than just "like" it.
It's called "Two Thumbs Up," and it looks exactly like it sounds. Along with the options to give a thumbs up or thumbs down to a piece of content, viewers will now be able to select the two-thumbs-up option.
The feature is meant to improve what Netflix recommends to its subscribers by giving users the ability to tell Netflix what they really want to see more of.
Christine Doig-Cardet, Netflix's director of product innovation, told Insider that the new feature stemmed from user feedback that they wanted "more control and agency in order to tailor their experience to their tastes more."
"Members really wanted that nuanced differentiation between liking a title and loving it," Doig-Cardet said. "Thumbs up and thumbs down wasn't sufficient enough to express the range of how they felt after watching a Netflix show or movie."
It's not the only new product feature Netflix has launched recently. In January, the streamer introduced a way for users to remove titles from their "continue watching" row on the service.
Doig-Cardet said that the recommendations would still be a mix of original and licensed content on Netflix, and that they will still be based on an array of how members engage on the service.
But the recommended titles will be expanded based on what users are "loving." They'll see different recommendations if they "love" (give two thumbs up to) enough titles.
"It adds another level to find the things you'll really enjoy," she said.
Doig-Cardet said "never say never" regarding further recommendation features, but users shouldn't expect a "Two Thumbs Down" button any time soon.
"We don't see users engage as much with the 'thumbs down' relative to 'thumbs up," she said. "Members really want to express what they want more of."