Netflix Launches “Two Thumbs Up” Button To Discover What Subscribers Enjoy 

Don’t simply tell the streaming service what you like but what you love.

By Omotayo Olutekunbi

Netflix is giving users a new option to show their affection, rather than just their liking, for a series or movie. In order to guarantee that customers are only suggested content that they would enjoy, the streamer included a new two thumbs up button to demonstrate gratitude for the series you just completed watching. It’s the latest move by Netflix to put its best foot forward for consumers, adding an addition to their current rating system that also allows you to feel like Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert crowning a production as a masterpiece. The new button will show alongside the other ratings on all platforms and will be rolled out globally.

Netflix finds a happy medium with the two thumbs up button. Originally, the streamer used a five-star rating system to let viewers offer accurate ratings to episodes, but it phased out the stars in 2017 in favor of the simpler thumbs up and thumbs down buttons.

It may seem logical, then, to include a two thumbs down button to convey Netflix how bad you felt a show was, but given the multitude of options to express your displeasure, the idea was dismissed. For example, Netflix has granted customers the ability to delete episodes from their “Continue Watching” list, and it also allows users to exclude particular shows from showing in their stream.

The inclusion of fandom into recommendations is one of the important changes that may arise from this new element. In the proposal process, Netflix is assessing how best to use affection for certain actors, authors, and production firms. Doig-Cardet even hinted that this may be the future of the firm, where like a Shondaland programme like Bridgerton could lead to other Shondaland productions being recommended to you, or liking Stranger Things could lead to additional series starring Finn Wolfhard or Winona Ryder being recommended to you.