Starting today, Netflix will be doing away with its star-rating system to introduce a thumbs-up, thumbs-down mode of indicating user preferences. Though the stars icon is at the moment still in place, the powers that be have officially set the wheels of change in motion, as first revealed by Netflix Vice President Todd Yellin last month.
Weighing the pros and cons of having a binary grading system versus a more, well, graded one is a topic of discussion that goes at least as far back as the days of Siskel and Ebert, except, contrary to what many Netflix users may think, the situation with the streaming giant is a bit different than the one that involved film criticism’s premier duo.
According to a new promo video that Netflix released to explain the change to users, the star system was never about a given film or show’s popularity among the site’s entire user base, but rather about predicting “what you would enjoy, not your neighbor.” If you see a five-star rating attached to The Crown, this designation indicates the opinion of not all Netflix watchers of the show but only those that, based on their ratings, are similar in taste to you. Likewise, your friend may see a one-star rating because users whose taste aligns with hers have expressed dissatisfaction with the series in the past.
Though the star has changed to thumbs, the underlying focus on a personalized browsing experience remains unchanged. That said, one notable update is a feature in which the perceived relative fit between you and a given title is provided in the form of a percentage.
The promo video, which can be viewed below, compares Netflix’s system to that of a dating app, though whether chemistry happens between users and the revamped site itself remains to be seen.