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Netflix sets the record straight over plans to introduce ads

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By Gillian West, Social media manager

August 19, 2018 | 3 min read

With news spreading Netflix is adding ads, the streaming service has stepped in to set the record straight - it’s testing skippable video promotions between episodes and movies.

Netflix on a mobile device

Netflix has set the record straight on the addition of 'ads'

Introduced quietly this week, Reddit users sparked confusion when some claimed they saw a video in between episodes they weren’t able to skip, while others spotted a ‘skip’ button.

With users threatening to quit over the addition of ads, Netflix issued a statement on Friday reading, “we are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster.

“It is important to note that a member is able to skip a video preview at anytime if they are not interested.”

A spokesperson for Netflix added the videos were not ads or commercials, but personalised recommendations for other shows and movies on the service. They claimed it conducts hundreds of tests per year, most of which aren’t adopted.

The addition of video previews that play while browsing were added in 2016, with Netflix revealing they cut down the amount of time people spent browsing “significantly”. Since then it has been experimenting with different kinds of video such as this.

Worldwide, Netflix boasts 130 million customers. In April, The Drum reported Netflix was investing “more in marketing of new original titles to create more density of viewing and conversation around each title.”

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Netflix, is an American entertainment company founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph on August 29, 1997, in Scotts Valley, California. It specializes in and...

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