Netflix is considering the possibility of streaming mobile-specific versions of its original TV shows and movies, aiming to enhance the experience for mobile users.
So far, Netflix has allowed streaming on various platforms, including mobile, but it has never delivered different cuts of movies and TV shows specifically tailored for certain platforms. It's the same cut across all devices, but Netflix believes there's some room for improvement here.
Improving The Netflix Experience
Netflix is already among the world's most popular and most used video streaming services and its global expansion back in late 2015/ early 2016 further increased its user base, but that doesn't mean that the company is not making efforts anymore.
Partly to keep existing users engaged and partly to attract new subscribers, Netflix is constantly upgrading its service to improve the experience. Netflix offline viewing was among the most highly requested features and it finally materialized late last year, when the company started allowing users to download Netflix movies and TV shows for later viewing even without an internet connection.
Netflix Original Content In Mobile-Specific Cuts
Now, it seems that Netflix is looking for more ways to enhance its service. According to a new report from The Verge, Netflix chief product officer Neil Hunt told journalists attending a briefing in San Francisco that Netflix is considering streaming mobile-specific cuts of its original content.
Considering that mobile use has soared and it's still growing, with an increasing number of people consuming media, surfing the web, communicating on social media, reading the news and doing more on mobile, it's not surprising to see companies investing more into the mobile space. To Hunt, delivering mobile-tailored cuts of Netflix originals would mean catering to a growing audience of its subscribers.
"It's not inconceivable that you could take a master [copy] and make a different cut for mobile," explained Hunt, adding that "it's something we will explore over the next few years."
In other words, mobile-specific cuts of Netflix movies and TV shows could be in the mix sometime in the future, but don't expect this feature to roll out anytime soon. Nevertheless, the prospect is still exciting.
A mobile-tailored cut of the content could focus on the scenes that are more highly visible or immersive on a smaller screen like that of a smartphone, since some scenes can seem diminished or hard to distinguish on smaller displays.
Right now, although you can watch Netflix on a big-screen TV, a laptop, tablet or smartphone, the cut is the same on all platforms. This automatically means that in many cases, you won't notice the same level of detail in a movie when you watch it on a smartphone versus when viewing it on a big-screen TV.
Mobile-specific cut scenes could fix that and based on the platform they intend to watch the content, Netflix subscribers could be able to choose which cut of the movie and TV show they would like to watch.
It remains to be seen how Netflix will make it work and when it will be ready to introduce this option, but it could be a terrific improvement.
