Netflix Introduces Netflix Social

Netflix finally announced Netflix Social for its streaming members today. Users can link their Netflix account to Facebook so friends can see what you’ve watched. It’s an opt-in feature that only starts sharing after you’ve linked the accounts and agreed to share.

In a blog pos,t Netflix says sharing will only happen on Netflix by default. In other words, if you link your accounts, the App won’t automatically share what you watch on Facebook.

After agreeing to share, you’ll see a couple new rows in the Netflix App. There’s a “Watched by your friends” row, and a “Friends’ Favorites” row. Friends’ Favorites are determined by which movies or TV shows have been rated either four or five stars.

In a video demoing how Netflix Social works, Cameron Johnson, director of product innovation, says social rows will be added to almost every device that can be used to watch Netflix.

Netflix says you are in control of what gets shared. If you don’t want friends to know you watched, H.O.T.S., there is a “Don’t Share This” button in the player. Further control is chosen by opening “Social Settings” in “Your Account” either in the App or on Netflix.com. That’s also where you would go to stop sharing, if you decide it’s not for you.

This isn’t the first time Netflix has included social options in the service. A feature called “Friends” gave members the ability to see what was in their friend’s queries, suggest movies to friends, and see friends’ ratings for movies. Netflix Friends was shut down by Netflix three years ago because only two percent of its members used it.

“Sharing movies and TV with friends online is still a new experience.” Johnson said. “We will continue to experiment and improve our social features over the coming months and years.”

Netflix Social will be added to the Netflix App for U.S. members by the end of this week.