You’ve probably heard of Instagram Reels. Now it’s time to prepare your Netflix Clips.
Netflix is redesigning its mobile app and introducing Clips, a vertical video feed that aims to help users discover new content by sharing highlights from original Netflix shows.
“Think of ‘Clips’ as a personalized highlight reel that helps you decide what to watch and play next without endless scrolling,” Netflix wrote in a press release. “You’ll see short clips of series, movies, and specials tailored to your tastes, making it easy to dig deeper when something interests you.”
The idea is that if you’re out and about, you’re not going to pull out your phone to watch the next three minutes of the “Love Is Blind” episode you’re watching. However, you can also watch short, hand-picked clips from different Netflix shows and have a good laugh (which is exactly why Netflix named a similar feature in 2021 “Fast Laughs”).
Five years ago, we may have rolled our eyes when social media platforms rushed to release TikTok copycat features, but now even LinkedIn is pushing vertical video in its mobile apps. It’s no exaggeration to say that vertical video is here to stay.
Netflix has been experimenting for years with how to incorporate short-form videos, but the company seems to have settled on Clips.
Vertical video isn’t just taking over social feeds like TikTok. The microdrama industry (bite-sized episodic series, typically less than 10 minutes per episode and designed to be viewed on a mobile phone screen) first took off in Asia, but is also gaining momentum in the United States, where users are accustomed to watching serialized stories in vertical feeds.
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Other streamers like Peacock and Tubi are also adding vertical video experiences on mobile.
At TechCrunch Disrupt last October, Elizabeth Stone, Netflix’s chief product and technology officer, talked about Netflix’s vertical video experiment, but said Netflix isn’t trying to compete with TikTok.
“[Netflix] I don’t intend to copy or follow what TikTok or other people are doing. Because we believe there are certain types of entertainment, moments of truth, that are particularly valuable to our members. And that’s what I want to focus on, instead of trying to give it my all in every moment. I don’t think it needs to be the core of your strategy. ” Stone said at the time.
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