Do not adjust your TV screen: Why your Netflix experience has a new look

Do not adjust your TV screen. Your Netflix experience is about to look very different.

In its first major revamp in more than a decade, the world's largest streaming platform on Wednesday announced changes designed to help viewers more easily decide what to watch, from a refreshed TV home screen to more “responsive” personalized recommendations that adjust in real time to what viewers are in the mood for.

The refresh that has been in the works for a couple of years and tested for the last year will roll out to viewers in coming weeks and months, Netflix executives said. It is part of an ongoing effort to coax viewers into spending even more time on the popular app in a phenomenon Netflix likes to call “press play and stay.”

“We’re very excited about the feedback we have seen from members who do tell us that they prefer the new experience,” Eunice Kim, Netflix’s chief product officer, told reporters this week.

The redesign has a cleaner, more contemporary look, according to Kim. Title cards will highlight tidbits such as “Emmy Award Winner” or “#1 in TV shows” to help viewers make snappier decisions. Shortcuts once relegated to the left-hand side will now appear at the top of the page, where they are easier to access, Kim said.

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Not everyone is a fan. “When I started the Netflix app on my TV today, I was very surprised and also a bit annoyed. There's a whole new design,” one Reddit user wrote after being included in the test. “I really don't like the new look and would prefer the old one.”

Netflix is also leaning into generative AI, according to Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone. A small opt-in test will let viewers search for shows and movies using conversational phrases like “I want something scary, but not too scary, and also maybe a little bit funny but not like 'ha ha' funny.”

On the mobile phone app, Netflix plans to test a vertical feed on the home page to browse clips and trailers. From that feed, viewers can tap to watch a show or movie, add it to a list or share the title with friends.

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Home to shows like “The Diplomat,” “Black Mirror” and “Adolescence,” Netflix has cemented its streaming lead by cracking down on password sharing, raising prices, adding live sports and games and launching an advertising business.

Now it's hoping that innovating on the Netflix experience can increase engagement and draw in more subscribers.

In the first quarter Netflix added 18.9 million subscribers. That was the last quarter it will report subscriber numbers. Going forward it plans to emphasize engagement as the most relevant metric.

The redesign comes as businesses brace for the economic fallout from President Donald Trump’s tariffs, including a proposed 100% levy on films produced outside the United States.

Netflix could take a 20% hit to its profits, one analyst estimated in a research note. Worst case, the tariffs could cost Netflix $3 billion a year, Citi’s Jason Bazinet said.

Asked about what Netflix would do if the tariff takes effect, Stone told reporters: “Honestly, you know as much as we do right now about the news and it’s business as usual for us right now.”