Netflix Tests Personalized Short-Form Videos to Compete with TikTok and YouTube

Netflix has announced a significant new feature aimed at capturing mobile viewers' attention in the face of growing competition from short-form video platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. The streaming giant is testing a mobile-only vertical feed that showcases short clips from its original content, personalized for each user based on their viewing preferences.

This new feed allows users to scroll through curated clips from the “Today’s Top Picks for You” section, making the experience highly tailored. Users can immediately watch the full show or movie from a clip, save it to their "My List," or share it with friends. This approach encourages deeper engagement by seamlessly connecting short-form content to full-length titles.

The feature will roll out globally on iOS and Android devices as a new tab on the Netflix app homepage. This move reflects the shifting viewing habits where audiences increasingly prefer quick, snackable entertainment, prompting even established platforms like Netflix to innovate in order to retain and grow their subscriber base.

Netflix’s experimentation with short-form content is not new. In 2021, it launched “Fast Laughs,” a TikTok-inspired feature focusing on comedy clips. The current test expands beyond comedy to appeal to a broader audience with personalized content curation.

In addition to the short-form video feed, Netflix is updating its TV homepage with usability improvements such as relocating the “Search” and “My List” shortcuts to the top of the page for easier access. It also introduced “callout” badges to highlight Emmy-winning and other notable content, enhancing content discovery.

Netflix has also improved its real-time recommendation system, which now factors in recent user interactions such as trailers watched or actors searched. For example, if a user likes the series “Wednesday,” the homepage will quickly adjust to recommend similar titles, making the content discovery process more dynamic and personalized.

This strategic push into short-form video and AI-powered personalization underscores the intensifying competition in digital entertainment. Platforms like Tubi and Peacock have also introduced similar features, recognizing that quick, engaging content is key to capturing and retaining viewer attention in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.

Netflix’s innovations highlight the broader industry trend of blending traditional long-form streaming with short-form, mobile-friendly content experiences. This evolution not only caters to changing consumer preferences but also opens new avenues for engagement, discovery, and monetization within streaming ecosystems.