Netflix testing skippable commercials between episodes

Binge-watching series on Netflix has practically become a national past time. Who doesn’t like blazing through the latest season of Stranger Things in one or two nights? But some Netflix users in the United Kingdom recently found this way of life threatened when Netflix started streaming trailers for other movies and TV shows in between episodes.

Is Netflix adding commercials? Is the Netflix lifestyle over? DO WE PANIC?

Probably not. Before you rush to cancel your subscription, Netflix provided the following statement to CordCutterNews:

"At Netflix, we conduct hundreds of tests every year so we can better understand what helps members more easily find something great to watch. A couple of years ago, we introduced video previews to the TV experience, because we saw that it significantly cut the time members spend browsing and helped them find something they would enjoy watching even faster. Since then, we have been experimenting even more with video based on personalized recommendations for shows and movies on the service or coming shortly, and continue to learn from our members.In this particular case, we are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster. It is important to note that a member is able to skip a video preview at anytime if they are not interested."

Although Reddit users were up in arms over the “commercials”, it appears Netflix is merely mimicking fellow streaming services like HBO Go, which inserts previews of their other offerings before the start of each episode. And as Netflix points out, these previews are skippable, also similar to HBO Go. Sure, having to skip through five previews for Sharp Objects has gotten annoying while I’m binging Deadwood, but it’s not going to stop me from watching the adventures of Al Swearengen.

Netflix also lets user skip the opening credits of shows, so if anything, they have a leg-up on other services. On HBO Go, you have to manually fast-forward through opening credits, which can send you down a frustrating fast-forward/rewind loop.

So at the moment, the message is not to panic. Stand by.

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h/t SyFy Wire