Netflix adds Clips, a vertical video feed, to redesigned mobile app
The feature is aimed at helping users discover series, films and specials through short personalized highlights.
Netflix is redesigning its mobile app and introducing Clips, a vertical video feed intended to help users discover new content by sharing highlights from original Netflix programming.
“Think of ‘Clips’ as a personalized highlight reel that helps you decide what to watch or play next, without endless scrolling,” Netflix said in a press release. “You’ll see short clips from series, films and specials tailored to your tastes, with an easy way to go deeper when something grabs your attention.”
The feature is designed for mobile users who may not want to resume a full episode while on the go, but may still watch a short curated clip from another Netflix show. Netflix previously introduced a similar feature, Fast Laughs, in 2021.
Vertical video has become a durable format across platforms. What once appeared to be a wave of TikTok copycat features is now common even beyond social media, with platforms such as LinkedIn pushing vertical video on mobile.
Netflix has experimented for years with ways to incorporate short-form video and now appears to have settled on Clips.
The growth of vertical video is also extending beyond social feeds. The microdrama industry — bite-sized episodic series, typically under 10 minutes per episode and designed for phone screens — first gained traction in Asia and is building momentum in the U.S., making users more accustomed to watching serialized stories in vertical feeds.
Other streaming services, including Peacock and Tubi, are also adding vertical video experiences on mobile.
At TechCrunch Disrupt last October, Netflix Chief Product and Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone said the company was experimenting with vertical video but was not trying to compete directly with TikTok.
“[Netflix] is not intending to copy or chase exactly what a TikTok or others are doing because we think that there’s a certain type of entertainment — or moment of truth — that’s especially valuable to our members, and we really want to be focused there, versus trying to be all things at every moment, which I don’t think needs to be a core part of the strategy,” Stone said.
