Netflix has a brand new rating system released for all of its shows and movies, but how has the masses taken to this rating system? Not too well, apparently. I suppose Iron Man would boil this down to performance issues, or users having to get used to the new interface. After all, we have all grown up on a diet of providing star ratings in Netflix for TV shows and movies, but the new rating system involves a simple thumbs up and thumbs down.
Sure, going the way of the gladiator arena in ancient Rome might be a more simplified manner of getting things done, but it does leave with far less leeway in providing the right impression to potential viewers. After all, a thumbs up or thumbs down is pretty much black or white -- without leaving any kind of grey areas in between. The new rating system did not really catch on with the masses though, based on the responses shared over social media concerning the change. Basically, folks are not too happy with the ratings being binary, and this leaves less room to share their recommendations.
In order to have more hard data on just how negative the feeling is toward the latest Netflix ratings system, Exstreamist has come up with a survey of 1,103 US-based Netflix subscribers over the weekend. In this particular survey, they realized that the vast majority of Netflix subscribers are not happy with the new ratings system, with 71% of them voicing out their displeasure. Only a mere 19% of Netflix subscribers like the change, while 10% of Netflix subscribers are unsure how they feel or did not notice the change. We suppose those who did not notice any changes made to the ratings system do not even rate movies and TV shows in the first place.
Certain quotes on the survey have shed more light on the situation, including the likes of the following:
“Things aren’t black and white, yes or no. I want to be able to offer a variety of responses to what I like and don’t like. Sometimes it’s a two star or a four star, not just 0 or 100.”
“I’ll give it a shot I guess, but it seems very limiting.”
“It’s not like I’m going to cancel Netflix or anything because of this, but it is kind of annoying.”
“Netflix normally doesn’t screw things up, but this one seems like a big mistake.”
“I always thought the rating system was bad anyways, this doesn’t change much. I know what I want to watch most of the time I use their service.”
Bear in mind that nothing is permanent, and Netflix is also working things through so the new ratings system might not end up implemented on a large scale in the long run. Basically, if you prefer the old ratings system, you can always fire an email away to Netflix and let them know how you feel about the situation. Who knows? Perhaps with enough folks voicing out in the background, they might stick to what the people want. Regardless, the ratings system is not going to stop you from not watching all of the great shows and TV series on Netflix, or will it?
