Netflix testing show ads that pop up in between episodes

MANILA, Philippines – Netflix is reportedly testing a new feature that squeezes video ads of another show in between episodes of the show you’re currently watching. According to TechCrunch, the video promo displaces the preview information for the next episode which includes the title, synopsis, and thumbnail.

The test drew the ire of a number of users who took to social media and online discussion sites like Twitter and Reddit to voice their frustrations with the feature.

Netflix claims that the feature is part of the hundreds of tests they conduct each year to discover better ways to target content to users and is live for only a small percentage of users globally. It remains to be seen if Netflix will roll the feature out for all its users.

“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,” Netflix said in a statement.

A number of users reported that they encountered a bug that made the ads unskippable. Netflix, however, notes that the ads are skippable after a certain amount of time – similar to YouTube ads.

It’s not the first time Netflix is conducting a controversial test. The video streaming platform previously rolled out a feature that gamified children’s shows that rewarded them for watching more. Netflix eventually pulled the feature from the platform likely due to the poor response from users. – Rappler.com