WSJ: Netflix wants to expand preview program to tens of thousands of users

Netflix wants to significantly expand the preview program for testing new content, anonymous parties report to The Wall Street Journal. Tens of thousands of panelists should come to provide early feedback on content.

It is an extension of the Netflix Preview Club, a focus group of currently about 2,000 users from the US. They are shown a variety of content for several months and are asked to rate the films and series before they are released worldwide. This program would expand beyond the United States and involve tens of thousands of members in the process. It is not clear in which markets Netflix will be recruiting panelists.

The preview system could possibly have a major impact on the content that Netflix releases, the same sources say based on the recent Netflix film Don’t Look Up. Adam McKay’s politically engaged comedy was said to have been too serious, according to panelists, after which more emphasis was placed on the comedy aspect of the film in editing.

The panel system was installed earlier this year by variety discovered after Netflix requested new subscribers to join the program. The principle is an established part of the Hollywood filmmaking process; practically all films and series have been presented to test audiences since the early days of the film industry. In this way, studios, and nowadays also streaming services, can test whether, for example, the tone, story or ending is well received by a wide audience.