Netflix Moving from Star Ratings to Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

It seems that, with their most recent move, Netflix will stay a step ahead of rival streaming sites. As The Verge reports, Netflix Vice President Todd Yellin revealed that the site will phase out the star rating system in favor of a simple thumbs up/thumbs down. Yellin cites a test population for the thumbs up binary system who reported at a rate 200 percent higher than Netflix’s traditional system.

Yellin explains that the new system targets what viewers actually want to see, as opposed to how they would rate the artistic merit of one film or another. “What’s more powerful?” Yellin asked, “you telling me you would give five stars to the documentary about unrest in the Ukraine; that you’d give three stars to the latest Adam Sandler movie; or that you’d watch the Adam Sandler movie ten times more frequently?”

With the expansion of ratings and data, Netflix will able to suggest films better suited to each viewer’s taste. The transition between the two systems will roll out in April worldwide.