Netflix Tests Human Curated 'Collections' Feature on iOS

Netflix is testing a human curated discovery feature on iOS called "Collections" that surfaces TV shows and movies the user might be interested to watch (via TechCrunch).

Collections in Netflix for iOS
Netflix says the content is curated by experts on its creative teams and that the collections are organized according to similar factors, such as genre, tone, story line, and character traits.

For users who opted into the test, the Collections option appears at the top-right of the Netflix app's homepage. Some collections currently showing up have names like "Let's Keep It Light," "Dark & Devious TV Shows," "Prizewinning Movie Picks," "Watch, Gasp, Repeat," and "Women Who Rule the Screen."

If a particular collection interests you, you can tap a Follow button and get updates when new TV shows and movies are added.

Netflix Collections is your new way of finding what you want to watch, fast. pic.twitter.com/kKfciBWCg4

— Jeff Higgins Likes Umbrella Beach Drinks (@ItsJeffHiggins) 23 August 2019

The human-led curation feature, first spotted by Jeff Higgins on Twitter, is a change of direction for Netflix's recommendations system, which typically selects content algorithmically based on the user's viewing history. When asked about the feature, Netflix told TechCrunch:

"We're always looking for new ways to connect our fans with titles we think they'll love, so we're testing out a new way to curate Netflix titles into collections on the Netflix iOS app. Our tests generally vary in how long they run for and in which countries they run in, and they may or may not become permanent features on our service."

As the above comment suggests, there's no word yet on if or when it will roll out to all users, or whether we'll see it on other platforms, like Netflix for Apple TV.