Netflix has announced a new user profiles system which will now set up a more personalized viewing system for households. Households can now have up to 5 user profiles on each account, which will then save and store users’ preferences, recommendations and viewing histories.
So if Mum is currently watching Downton Abbey and Dad only watches old episodes of Star Trek, each user will find a more personalised experience of similar titles and follow-on episodes in their respective profiles, thanks to the new system.
What’s more, the new profiles will come with their own set of user settings so you can change the way Netflix works for you – HD, stream settings and so on.
Netflix has introduced and demo’d the service in a new video (below) where Eddie Wu, Director of Product Innovation for Netflix, shows it off nicely.
The new profiles are coming to all Netflix regions starting today but may take a couple of weeks to appear on every account as they roll out gradually. The devices that support the new feature will also vary at the start, with some, such as PS3, getting profiles now whilst the Android and the Nintendo Wii apps will arrive “later in the fall” and in mid-August respectively.
You also don’t need to set up a specific account per person as Wu explains that you can set up profiles for groups of people. So if you have a group of blokes around and you put on your “manly” profile you can set it to watch all the biggest action films and TV series. Or, if as a family you all enjoy watching a TV series together, you can have a family setting for everyone to enjoy.
The profiles themselves can be customised with different icons – and profile pictures of yourself if you like – as well as individual Facebook connections which will bring in recommendations and your profile picture.
We think it’s a good step for Netflix and will offer a much more personalised service to its users – what do you think?