Netflix already borrowed the concept of short-form video \u201cStories\u201d from social apps like Snapchat and Instagram for its Previews feature back in 2018. Now, the company is looking to the full-screen vertical video feed, popularized by TikTok, for further inspiration. With its latest experiment, Fast Laughs, Netflix is offering a new feed of short-form comedy clips drawn from its full catalog.
\nThe feed includes clips from both originals and licensed programming, Netflix says. It also includes video clips from the existing Netflix social channel, \u201cNetflix Is A Joke,\u201d which today runs clips, longer videos and other social content across YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
\nFast Laughs resembles TikTok in the sense that it\u2019s swiped through vertically, offers full-screen videos and places its engagement buttons on the right side. But it\u2019s not trying to become a place to waste time while being entertained.<\/p>\n
Like many of Netflix\u2019s experiments, the goal with the Fast Laughs feed is to help users discover something new to watch.
\nInstead of liking and commenting on videos, as you would in a social video app, the feed is designed to encourage users to add shows to their Netflix watch list for later viewing. In this sense, it\u2019s serving a similar purpose to Netflix\u2019s \u201cPreviews\u201d feature, which helps users discover shows by watching clips and trailers from popular and newly released programming.
\nAs users scroll through the new Fast Laughs feed, they\u2019ll encounter a wide range of comedy clips \u2014 like a clip from a Kevin Hart stand-up special or a funny bit from \u201cThe Office,\u201d for example. The clips will also range in length anywhere from 15 to 45 seconds.
\nIn addition to adding clips to Netflix\u2019s \u201cMy List\u201d feature, users can also react to clips with a laughing emoji button, share the clip with friends across social media, or tap a \u201cMore\u201d button to see other titles related to the clip you\u2019re viewing.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the full intro explaining this new Netflix feature\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/T7OriLUHd8
\n\u2014 Matt Navarra (@MattNavarra) November 12, 2020<\/p>\n
The feature was first spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, based in the U.K. In his app, Fast Laughs appeared in front of the row of Previews, where it was introduced with text that said \u201cNew!\u201d
\nNetflix confirmed to TechCrunch the experiment had been tested with a small number of users earlier this year, but has recently started rolling out to a wider group this month \u2014 including users in the U.K., the U.S. and other select markets.
\nIt\u2019s currently available to a subset of Netflix users with adult profiles or other profiles without parental controls on iOS devices only. However, users don\u2019t need to be opted in to experiments nor do they need to be on a beta version of the Netflix app to see the feature. It\u2019s more of a standard A\/B test, Netflix says.
\nAnd because it\u2019s a test, users may see slightly different versions of the same feature. The product may also evolve over time, in response to user feedback.<\/p>\n
Netflix is hardly the first to \u201cborrow\u201d the TikTok format for its own app. Social media platforms, like Instagram and Snapchat, have also launched their own TikTok rivals in recent months.
\nBut Netflix isn\u2019t a direct competitor with TikTok \u2014 except to the extent that any mobile app competes for users\u2019 time and attention, as there are only so many hours in a day.
\nInstead, the new feed is more of an acknowledgment that the TikTok format of a full-screen vertical video feed with quick engagement buttons on the side is becoming a default style of sorts for presenting entertaining content.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re always looking for new ways to improve the Netflix experience,\u201d a Netflix spokesperson said, confirming the experiment. \u201cA lot of our members love comedy so we thought this would be an exciting new way to help them discover new shows and enjoy classic scenes. We experiment with these types of tests in different countries and for different periods of time \u2014 and only make them broadly available if people find them useful,\u201d they added.<\/p>\n