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Netflix Inc. has been testing short promotional videos that play between episodes of shows and subscribers are not happy.
Although the company calls these “video promos” for Netflix content, many users say they are commercials, plain and simple. The website Cord Cutters News was the first to report on the videos, after spotting a since-deleted thread on Reddit where a user complained about having to watch an ad for “Better Call Saul” that could not be skipped.
Netflix NFLX, +3.71% told MarketWatch that the company was testing the promotional videos and subscribers could in fact skip the ads if they wanted to.
“In this particular case, we are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster. It is important to note that a member is able to skip a video preview at anytime if they are not interested,” the spokesperson added.
Netflix users affected by the testing took to Twitter over the weekend to complain.
Hey @netflix putting ads for your other shows between episode of something I am watching ruins what makes Netflix good. It makes me want to switch to other services. Please stop.
— Adam Cullen (@Fictonia) August 17, 2018
tbh I already pay for netflix, why the ads?????
— 💓💜💙#1 Dot fan 🖤🐘⚪️💜 (@madzie121) August 18, 2018
.@netflix make it stop! Make the ads after a show I watch stop!!!
— Frank Remley (@FrankRemley) August 17, 2018
Those who were not directly affected threatened to leave the subscription service if the company permanently incorporated promotional videos into its streaming platform.
Hey Netflix, if you run ads I can guarantee I'm going to cancel my subscription.
— Bardoooo (@bardowu) August 19, 2018
I'll be the one of millions to say it. If you introduce any ads to your service that we pay for, I am cancelling my subscription that I had for years and move on somewhere else. @netflix #netflixads #subscriptioncancellation
— iGameOver (@quantumstate12) August 20, 2018
I love @netflix and have had it for several years! But if they do ads even ones that I can skip, I will cancel my account.
— Hilary Jenkins (@cookiedemander) August 18, 2018
Netflix, which has over 100 million subscribers, told investors in its January earnings announcement that the company would be increasing its spending on marketing. “Our sort of Holy Grail dream is that the service was so good at promoting the new content in such relevant ways that we wouldn't have to spend externally,” Chief Executive Reed Hastings said during the earnings video.
Testing and experimentation is a large part of that. “We use experimentation and testing to inform as much of the business as we possibly can,” Chief Product Officer Gregory Peters at the time.
In 2016, Netflix tested short video previews that would play when users hovered over a show’s title, which later became a permanent feature. The company conducts hundreds of tests every year, but most do not end up being rolled into the service.
Users can opt out of Netflix testing by going to netflix.com/donottest.