Netflix has released its all-new website, offering a more modern look and easy-to-use interface.
The new website is designed to look and feel more like an app, and certainly mimics the Netflix app itself. Featuring larger images and with more animations, the revamp brings the website in line with other modern websites, as its last major update was around four years ago.
"Over the past four years, web browsers have changed a lot, becoming more sophisticated and allowing for richer visuals and animations. How our members use Netflix has changed, too. We're spending more and more time using mobile and tablet apps," said Netflix in a blog post. "With the new Netflix website, we've created a richer, more visual experience, and a website that works more like an app and less like a series of linked web pages. Information appears in-line and in context rather than on a separate page, which makes exploring the catalog faster than ever before."
The website is riddled with animations. For example, when a user hovers over a title, they will be presented with a slideshow of images from the show or movie. Clicking on that title will trigger an animation that will show details about a show, as well as the ability to see similar shows.
Users will also now be able to scroll through rows of titles far faster, with the clicking of the mouse advancing through a full row at a time.
Netflix has also made sure that the website will work well no matter what kind of input a user prefers. That means whether it is a mouse, trackpad or touch screen, users will be able to fully take advantage of the new site.
The website will begin rolling out today, and should make it to every Netflix user within the next few weeks. Some users of older browsers may be prompted to update their browsers to fully take advantage of the site.
The news comes as Chinese website Alibaba announces its plans to enter the video streaming business, offering a competitor to Netflix called Tmall Box Office, or TMO. The service will be released exclusively in China, and will feature licensed video content, as well as original content produced by Alibaba. This could be very problematic for Netflix as it attempts to expand into new markets, including China. In fact, after Alibaba's announcement, Netflix stock dropped by around 1.4 percent before trade time started on Monday.
