Netflix is getting a big TV redesign and AI search

Netflix is finally pushing out the major TV app redesign it started testing last year, with a top navigation bar and new recommendation features. It’s also experimenting with generative AI and TikTok–style vertical video clips on mobile devices.

Netflix first teased the new TV app in June 2024, with Reuters calling it the company’s biggest redesign in a decade. It’s unclear why the rollout has taken this long, but Netflix says users will start seeing it in “the coming weeks and months.”

“Our redesigned homepage is simpler, more intuitive, and better-represents the breadth of entertainment on Netflix today,” Eunice Kim, Netflix’s chief product officer, told reporters.

Netflix’s new menu

The most obvious difference with the new design is the top navigation bar, with some different menu options than before.

You can still filter for TV shows and movies, but the “New” section is gone and there’s an extra tab for Netflix’s gaming endeavors. Netflix is also replacing the “My List” menu with new section called “My Netflix,” which covers both watch list items and shows-in-progress. A new spotlight design at the top will also help Netflix highlight live events, such as its Christmas NFL games.

Netflix is making some subtler changes as well. Instead of using the entire top half of the screen for details on the current selection, the app will simply expand the selected cover art and put the description right underneath. The app will also use badges such as “Emmy Award Winner” or “#1 in TV Shows” to explain why it’s recommending something.

But the most interesting change is one you might not really even notice.

With the new home screen, Netflix says it will adapt recommendations on the fly based on how you’re interacting with the app at that moment. If you’re stopping to watch a lot of romantic comedy trailers, for instance, the recommendation rows further down the app may update to reflect that.

“Because everything will happen seamlessly in the background, you won’t even notice it happening,” Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s chief technology officer, told reporters. “It’ll just be magically easier to find something to watch.”

AI and vertical video

Netflix is also playing around with some new mobile app features, though these seem to be in the earlier stages.

For instance, the company announced that it’s testing generative AI search on iOS as a “small opt-in beta,” confirming earlier reporting by Bloomberg. Stone says Netflix is using large language models from OpenAI for the feature, which will allow for queries like “I want something scary, but not too scary, and also maybe a little bit funny, but not, like, ha-ha funny.”

Netflix plans to test a vertical video feed on mobile devices as well, with clips that users can scroll through and tap on to watch full content. That feature will start to appear in “the coming weeks.”

What it all means

The new design follows a set of across-the-board price hikes for Netflix, whose standard ad-free plan jumped from $15.49 per month to $18 per month in January.

Nonetheless the company reported 13% earnings growth last month, beating estimates. While Netflix no longer discloses subscriber numbers, it’s playing a somewhat different game now, squeezing customers for more revenue while also chasing engagement for its ad business.

As such, serving up the right content to each user may be more important than it’s ever been. Much like Amazon Prime a few years ago, Netflix’s new design will help emphasize live events, but it’s also leaning into the idea that any two users could see completely different things when they open the app. The new recommendation system could mean that you see completely different things on subsequent visits as well.

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