How Netflix Monitors Your Viewing Habits

Ever wonder how Netflix knows what to recommend to you next? That’s because the video subscription service uses a system to monitor your viewing habits.

There’s a science to this. Viewing content online has become increasingly popular in the past decade. Many argue that Netflix has become an active competitor to linear TV, and threatens to make it obsolete. Other competitors such as Amazon, Shomi and Hulu have joined in on the race. With the competition as fierce as ever, Netflix must continue to satisfy its subscribers.

One surefire way to do this is by paying attention to users’ viewing habits in order to curate and create content.

It isn’t a secret that Netflix’s content depends highly on the data retrieved from subscriptions. It’s what influences what types of shows will be made based on what people are interested in. It has a say in who to cast and what crew to use.

It’s like an online video version of Big Brother watching over us, carefully monitoring our viewing habits.

And after all, it’s a fair assumption to believe that Netflix has an algorithm for these things, right?

Kinda.

Would you believe us if we told you that Netflix’s user monitoring is a lot more simple than we thought?

One journalist from the Toronto Star visited Netflix’s headquarters in Los Gatos, California. He discovered that algorithmic data must just be a thing of the past. Instead, Netflix employees monitor what you watch in real-time.

After building a seemingly flawless rating system, Netflix “de-emphasized” that model. Gone are the days when it’s star-studded ratings from 1-5 actually meant something significant. Now, Netflix still pays attention to your rating…it just doesn’t use it as primary data.

In his article, Toronto Star reporter Tom Vanderbilt says,

“asking people what they like is not the same thing as observing what they do. The beauty of the Internet is that regardless of what people say, you can see, with increasing fidelity, their actual behaviour.“

Clearly, Netflix doesn’t have full faith in its users to trust them to be honest with their interests. Nevertheless, the video streaming service is able to extrapolate what viewers are really watching. This means they know what you watch when you watch it, where you’re watching it, where you press the pause button, what you watch next and what you repeatedly watch.

For more information, read Vanderbilt’s article here.

Here at Key West Video, we consider ourselves avid Netflix watchers. With a full portfolio of compelling video content, we invite you to check out our website today.

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Is Hulu The New Face of New Television?

Hulu might change the way we watch TV. With the rise of video streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, HBO and Shomi, it seems like the streaming world is a little crowded. But with Hulu’s newest proposed feature, we might just change the way we watch television. Again.

Aside from new original programming, Hulu has now extended its services to live television programming.

But what does this mean?

Think TV bundles. Hulu is working with both cable and network TV channels to bring its subscribers its own live television. This almost sounds like it will be operating similarly to a skinny bundle. With this, users can use multiple channels – both cable and network – from a service provider for a discounted rate.

Hulu intends on becoming the future of online TV.

It insists on describing watching television as an “experience”. In fact, the company describes the experience as a verb.

“TV-ing”, if you will.

With an emphasis on the personal experience of watching television, Hulu wants to establish itself as a hub for great content and forward-thinking.

One other advantage to this is advertisers. Ads make Hulu attractive to potential advertisers and investors. It also makes for curated commercials during shows. As a viewer, it is both a vice and a virtue; the streaming service includes commercials that benefit advertisers. This helps Hulu stay afloat as advertisements are put in place to offset the subscription cost of the service. Seems cool enough, right? The only plausible vice in this scenario is, again, the commercials. A bit bittersweet, new subscribers may not be expecting (or want to deal with) commercials like in regular programming.

Mashable goes on to mention that Hulu is already has a leg up on this, as it’s owned by major TV networks 21st Century Fox, Walt Disney Co., and NBCUniversal.

As the streaming company has only provided very basic broad strokes in terms of what their new services will entail, they now have the world’s ear as one of the first streaming services to really push the envelope.

We at Key West Video believe in quality programming. Whether it’s shooting commercials for ad agencies, corporate businesses or creating compelling videography for events, we specialize in bringing the best content to our clients. For more information on our services, visit our website today!

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