Netflix Profiles: Adapting To How You Watch Movies

Netflix profiles will adapt to how you watch movies.

For a while now, Netflix has been trying to predict what kind of movies and TV shows you will probably watch. It doesn’t always work, especially when you find yourself watching a movie that you wish you hadn’t. The movies included in the suggestions are usually based on the genres you tend to watch most, and if you have varied tastes, it’s hard to predict.

The suggestions can get even more outrageous when more than one person is using the same account. One person might like Dr. Who, while the next person might watch visceral horror like Saw, and yet another could be a huge Disney fanatic, just for example. You see where this is going.

Netflix profiles are being rolled out to attempt to remedy this issue, making it so every user has their own preferences and a Harry Potter fan isn’t getting suggestions of Transformers or the latest from Jean-Claude Van Damme, again just for example.

Don’t worry about the price: Netflix profiles are free.

Todd Yellin, Netflix’s vice president of product innovation, told The Huffington Post, “The truth of it is that over the years we’ve really personalized for households rather than individuals within those households. Profiles is the next logical step in making personalization even better.”

Of course, if the individual has varied tastes, this won’t solve the issue entirely, but you won’t be getting recommendations based on what your 12 year old nephew likes to watch. He can have his own profile now.

For the moment, Netflix profiles can only be set up on the Netflix website and the PlayStation 3, while the profiles can be accessed additionally on the Xbox 360, iOS, Blu-Ray players and some Smart TVs. Until profiles are more universally adapted, these restrictions might still stop you from enjoying the benefits of profiles, especially if you watch TV on the go with your smartphone. Netflix is working on enabling profiles on other devices as you read this.

In the end, Netflix profiles may not change the way you watch movies, but they could cut down on recommendations based on what you personally didn’t watch before.

What do you think about the introduction of Netflix profiles?