Netflix gives thumbs up to skipping opening credits

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Netflix on a MacBook
You can now skip opening credits.
Photo: Netflix is killing star-ratings and title scenes

Binging your favorite TV shows on Netflix is about to get a lot better and a lot worse at the same time.

Netflix revealed that it plans to roll out two new features that will change the way you watch and review shows. Get ready to say goodbye to opening credits and five star reviews.

The new features haven’t been rolled out globally quite yet, but Netflix users on Twitter noticed that the company now has a “Skip Intro” button on some shows. Pressing it will zip you straight past the title sequence. Currently it only works on three shows: House of Cards, Iron Fist, and Mad Men.

It’s unknown when the feature will be more widely available. Netflix has only made it available to some users on the web. Shows with cold openings might not be eligible for the feature, or Netflix will have to mark when the title sequence begins for each episode.

The other big change coming to Netflix is the removal of star ratings. Netflix is reviews with a simple thumbs up or thumbs down. Keeping track of your all-time favorites might get a little bit harder, but Netflix VP of Product Todd Yellin told journalist that thumbs got 200% more ratings than the star-rating feature in A/B testing.

“We made ratings less important because the implicit signal of your behavior is more important,” Yellin told Variety.

Netflix is also rolling out a matching feature that predicts the likelihood that you will enjoy a film. Shows will have a percentage that indicated how closely it aligns with your tastes. A 98% would be a near perfect match, while shows with a 50% or below won’t display their match score.

New thumbs up ratings and matching scores should start rolling out to all users over the coming weeks.

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