What you need to know
- Netflix is giving some people early access to content so they can make edits based on feedback.
- Those on the early access program have to watch content and then complete a survey to provide feedback.
Netflix is giving some people access to its original content months before launch, according to a report. The program, which is available to a limited number of customers in the United States, requires that viewers give the streamer feedback on shows before their big release to the wider subscriber base.
The program, which Netflix has now confirmed to Variety, sees customers given access to original movies and TV shows ahead of release and has been running since May 2021.
"We at Netflix are building a community of members to view and give feedback on upcoming movies and series, and we'd like to know if you're interested in being a part of it," according to a recent email sent to a group of subscribers, a copy of which was obtained by Variety. "It's simple, but an incredibly important part of creating best-in-class content for you and Netflix members all around the world."
Netflix then takes the feedback given by viewers and then uses it to make edits to content before it is released publicly. Predictably, those who sign up for the early access must agree not to share information about the program and are required to sign a nondisclosure agreement.
For the customer-feedback panels, Netflix asks members to watch several upcoming movies and series over the course of about six months. After they finish watching each movie or series, members fill out a survey "to tell us what you liked, what you didn't, how you'd make it even better, or how likely you'd be to recommend it to friends and family."
Testing content before its release is likely to help Netflix in its larger aim to attract and then keep subscribers, a need that its recent 200,000-subscriber loss has brought into sharp relief. It's also thought that other streaming companies run similar programs to have their own original content seen by new eyes before wider availability.
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