What was the craic with Netflix recommending My Little Pony, or that soppy rom com with Colin Firth when you’d just watched a film about murderous zombies?
We could never get our heads around the stuff that Netflix was pushing our way – it was like it didn’t even know us.
But the global streaming service has sneaked in a little change to make a huge difference to shows that are touted to us…and we might not have even noticed.
With a click of the button Netflix surreptitiously ushered in its brand new global recommendation system, some time in December according to Tech Insider.
While in the bad old days shows were recommended to you solely based on your geographic location – so if everyone was watching reruns of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, that’s what you got offered.
But now the new system works by suggesting films and TV shows that Netflix fans around the world with the same tastes as you are watching and enjoying.
So now the global response to a TV show or series is factored in to the way content is recommended to Netflix subscribers.
“Intuitively, this makes sense,” Netflix said in this announcement. “If a member likes sci-fi movies, someone on the other side of the world who also likes sci-fi would be a better source for recommendations than their next-door neighbour who likes food documentaries.”
This might seem like a small change – but if you’re into niche shows or foreign films it could make a huge difference.
