unsolicited.
The question

What if Netflix’s engagement problem isn’t about attention?

Netflix competes with TikTok, Reels and YouTube for attention. But opening a feed and settling into a film can be different intentions.

An independent project. Not affiliated with Netflix.

Scroll to explore

Humor me for a second.

Pick something to watch tonight.

Take your time. Anything catch your eye?

Concept: Netflix catalogHover or tap a title

Scroll.
Pause.
Scroll again.

  1. “I swear I spend more time scrolling Netflix than actually watching anything. By the time I pick something I’m already tired.”

    Choice overload

  2. “That’s the illusion of choice. It’s like walking into a grocery store where every aisle is stocked with the same ten products.”

    Choice scarcity

  3. “I mean it’s not that there’s ‘nothing’ to watch. It’s that everything feeling like a commitment nowadays…”

    Uncertainty

  4. “It’s either too long, too heavy, or not the right mood.”

    Emotional mismatch

  5. “Half the time I just give up and rewatch something I’ve already seen.”

    Passive intention

Every line here is from Reddit.

From the outside, everybody is doing the same thing. But the person holding the remote might be asking for something completely different.

More choice won’t solve every one of these feelings. Neither will a shorter video.

But before I get carried away with ideas, can we talk about something?

I counted 37 rows on my Netflix homepage.

Thirty-seven.

Top 10. Trending Now. Award Winners. Today’s Picks for You. And somehow, we’re still going.

It’s starting to feel like being on a date with someone who’s trying a little too hard to impress you.

That’s kind of my point. I’m already paying for Netflix. I don’t need convincing that there’s plenty to watch. I need help finding something I actually want to watch.

And sure, maybe some of the content just isn’t that good. You can’t recommend your way out of a bad movie. But I’ve had Netflix for over a decade, and I find it hard to believe there aren’t still some incredible gems hiding in that library.

NetflixActive now

  1. I’m award-winning.

  2. Everybody loves me.

  3. I’m great with romance.

  4. Actually, do you like thrillers?

  5. Because I’m great at those too.

  6. Oh, and did I mention…

  7. Babe, relax. You’re giving me 37 reasons to like you, and somehow I still don’t know if I do.

So why does finding one feel like a job?

I’ve opened Netflix, scrolled for twenty minutes, and gone to bed without watching anything. It had my attention the whole time. It just never gave me a reason.

Anyway, a few ideas came to mind.

For the “Is this worth committing to?” nights.

01A reason to begin

Pick me. Choose me. Press play.

I have a little confession. I’d already written this chapter. Polished it. Was rather pleased with myself, actually.

The idea was simple:

What if Netflix introduced short clips to help us discover what to watch?

Iconic scenes, hilarious bloopers, behind-the-scenes moments. Little glimpses that could turn “Wait, what show is this?” into “Fine, I’ll watch it.”

Pretty good idea, right? The ink was barely dry when I found out someone at Netflix had already built it. It’s called Clips.

Goddamn it, Netflix. Rude!

To be honest, I had a couple of options. Ditch the idea, or pretend I’d never noticed Clips. Instead, I came up with a better question.

If Netflix already has Clips, why do scenes on TikTok make me want to watch a show, but scenes on Netflix don’t?

I gave Clips a fair shot. Hardly scientific. Just me, my phone, and a question that wouldn’t leave me alone.

I’ll let Meredith Grey explain the rest.

Concept: Same scene, different appGrey’s Anatomy · S02 E05
  1. 1The unexpected encounterA pasta recipe. A dog in a raincoat. Then, out of nowhere, Meredith.
  2. 2The right momentJust before Derek answers, the clip ends. Excuse me?
  3. 3The social proofA million likes. Comments losing their minds. Everyone knows something you don’t.
  4. 4The slow burnA few scrolls later, another Meredith clip. Then another.
  1. 1You came to chooseYou opened Netflix to find something to watch.
  2. 2No crowdSame Meredith. Same three words. Nobody else in the room.
  3. 3A brochureA title. A genre. A description. Tap the art and it plays the show. Not where I left off.
  4. 4The next showThen the next show. And the next. In my scroll, every clip felt like a fresh decision.

TikTokWhat happens next?A spark.

Netflix ClipsDo I actually want to start this?A decision.

Illustration. TikTok numbers, comments and the account are made up. The Netflix screen is simplified from my app, where tapping the title art plays the show, not where I left off.

So, what’s TikTok doing differently?

Before you come at me, I’m not suggesting Netflix become TikTok. Our attention spans are fried enough, thank you very much.But it could borrow a thing or two. Or steal, if you like.

01The unexpected encounterLeave it.The spark doesn’t need to happen at home. It just needs somewhere to go.

On TikTok, you go looking for a distraction. Cooking videos, cute dogs, relationship advice nobody asked for, and everything in between. Meredith is just one more surprise in the mix.

Nobody opens Netflix like that. You open it to choose.

That surprise belongs to TikTok, and honestly, it’s doing Netflix a favor. Every viral Grey’s scene is free discovery. For whoever’s streaming it in your country, anyway.

02The right momentSteal it.End on the question, not the answer.

On TikTok, whoever posted the clip decided where to cut it. Usually right before the answer. So you’re left hanging: does he pick her?

Clips shows me a moment. TikTok leaves me hanging in one.

So end on the question. Then make the answer feel close: “This moment is 14 episodes in.” Fourteen episodes? That’s a weekend. A committed one.

03The social proofStill figuring this one out.Keep the signal, lose the stage?

Let’s be honest. A million likes says something before you’ve decided anything. It’s a crowd quietly telling you this one is worth your time.

But I don’t think Netflix should become another social media app. So I’m stuck between two truths. The crowd is part of the spark. The crowd is also the noise.

Could Netflix keep the signal and lose the stage? No likes. No comments. Just a quiet “Most replayed moment this week.”

Maybe. I haven’t cracked this one, and I’d rather not pretend I have. (Got a better idea? The comments are open. I’m aware of the irony.)

04The slow burnBorrow it.One clip is a spark. Three clips of the same show is a crush.

On TikTok, if you watch a clip all the way through, the app takes the hint. A few scrolls later, another clip from the same show. Then another. You never searched for it, but it’s slowly becoming your show.

On my Clips, it was this show, then the next, then the next. Every clip felt like starting from zero.

Bring the show back when I’ve lingered, finished or replayed. Not to keep me scrolling forever. To notice when curiosity is turning into interest.

05Where I am in the storyUse it.Two signals. One opportunity.

TikTok knows what I like. It has no idea how far I’ve got in a show.

Netflix does. At least for what I watched there. It knows whether I’ve never started Grey’s, gave up in season three, or finished the lot.

  • Never watched it?A spoiler-free scene that sells it. Then start watching, from episode one.
  • Stopped halfway?The best moments from what I’ve already watched. Then continue where I left off.
  • Already finished?The most replayed scene, the bloopers, the behind-the-scenes. Then play from that moment.

The same scene can be a mystery, a spoiler, or a memory. Maybe the most valuable thing about a moment isn’t what’s happening in it, but what the person watching already knows.

Explore the experimentcan the right clip get you to press play?

My hunch: Clips that know where I am in the story turn more scenes into plays, and more plays into watching. Would it actually work? I have absolutely no idea. Which is rather the point.

TODAY

Clips as it works now. Tap play and the show starts from the top. Or open the show page and decide from there.

THE LOOP

Sharper moments. A scene picked for how far you’ve got, and a tap that takes you to the right place: episode one, where you left off, or straight back into the moment. Then the show comes back when you linger.

START SMALL

One long-running show. Netflix calls its test groups cells, and Cell 1 is always today. Each cell after it adds one idea: sharper moments, then where you are, then the slow burn.

What to measure

Plays from Clips that last beyond the first few minutes. Then next episodes, return visits, dropped shows picked back up. Adding to My List counts, but not as watching.

The catch

Total viewing has to rise, not just move over from the homepage. Spoilers can’t scare off new viewers. And new things get tapped just for being new, so it runs for weeks.

Where I’d look first

Members who stopped partway. If I’m right, that’s where knowing their place pulls ahead. They’re the ones Clips seemed to treat like strangers. At least, it did me.

What would change my mind?

If sharper moments alone do as well as everything else. Or plays go up while viewing doesn’t. In which case, congratulations, Netflix. You can save yourself the trouble of building my elaborate idea. You’re welcome.

No Netflix data assumed. The crowd label gets its own test. The slow-burn ranking could be tried out first by interleaving: mixing two rankings in one feed and seeing which one people actually pick. Netflix has written about doing exactly that.

This one isn’t about tonight’s scroll. It’s about the next one.

02A reason to stay

Sometimes the best part starts after the credits.

I’ve had the longest crush on Zoë Saldaña (yes, from Colombiana). I would watch behind-the-scenes footage just to find out if she’s as funny as I imagine. But that’s beside the point. (Mostly.)

Concept: After the creditsChoose an extra
Bridgerton behind-the-scenes footage

BRIDGERTON

One quiet doorway behind the story.
Still Watching Netflix · Watch at source
The idea: After the credits

Let the curiosity continue.

You know how a show gets under your skin? You finish it, but you’re not quite ready to leave.

So instead of moving you straight on, what if Netflix let you stay a little longer? One quiet doorway into the bloopers, the cast or the set, right there in the same frame.

Want the next episode? Great, don’t interrupt it. This is for the curious, not another content maze.

To be fair, Netflix already makes this stuff. Tudum is full of it, and plenty of shows have extras tucked under Trailers & More. But you have to go looking. This is about timing: right there when the credits roll, while you still care.

The bet: an optional extra could make a return more likely, if it adds something you wouldn’t have found anyway.

Explore the experimentcan an extra bring you back?

My hunch: when you’re not ready to leave a show, one small extra at the right moment keeps you close to it. Not more watching tonight. A better reason to come back.

TODAY

The show ends, and Netflix suggests what’s next.

THE LOOP

When the show ends, a choice. Stay a little longer with the bloopers, the cast or the set, or move on as usual. After a season finale, never in the way of the next episode. If you’re bingeing, it waits.

START SMALL

Use what Netflix already has before making anything new. Two cells: Cell 1 sees today’s ending, Cell 2 gets the choice.

What to measure

Mostly the slow burn. Do people come back sooner, start the next season, or pick up something else with the same cast? And the simple one: did they enjoy it, or skip it? Total viewing has to rise, not just move around.

Where I’d look first

Members who finish a season and then go quiet. If I’m right, that’s where an extra brings people back sooner.

The catch

An extra might just replace other viewing instead of adding to it. Some shows won’t have much to give. And new footage costs money, so it should earn its place first.

What would change my mind?

If people watch the extras but don’t come back any sooner. Or if it starts to feel like one more thing in the way.

No Netflix data assumed. What extras exist depends on each show.

And for “I want to watch something. I don’t want to look for it.”

03A reason to return

What happened to having something to look forward to?

Remember knowing your show was on at eight? Streaming gave us the freedom to watch anything, anytime. I love that. But I wonder if we lost a little of the anticipation along the way.

Concept: Random TuesdayIllustrative pick
Green Book, this illustrative Random Tuesday pick
NetflixRANDOM TUESDAY

Green Book

Picked by a reviewer you follow.

“For when you want a long drive and a good conversation.”

One film. Everyone, this Tuesday.

Illustrative guest recommendation. Availability varies.

The idea: Random Tuesday

One film. Someone whose taste you trust.

You know the film reviewer whose suggestions you actually save? What if a reviewer you follow picked one film for Netflix each Tuesday?

Right now that voice lives somewhere else. On TikTok, on Reels, in a ChatGPT answer. Netflix gets the play, but someone else gets the trust. What if the voice you trust lived inside Netflix?

A face or a voice you trust. One recommendation. A few words about why they love it. Then the film, right there.

No mood questionnaire. No new list to work through. Just: this one, tonight.

Explore the experimentcan one film a week take the deciding away?

My hunch: streaming solved what’s on, and gave us what do I pick instead. One film, every Tuesday, picked by a person. Just one less decision, and something to look forward to.

TODAY

The usual homepage. The featured banner, then the familiar rows.

RANDOM TUESDAY

Same homepage. But on Tuesdays, the banner is one film picked by a reviewer you follow, with a few words on why. Don’t like the pick? Keep scrolling.

The experiment

Two cells, for several weeks. Cell 1 gets the usual homepage. Cell 2 gets Random Tuesday. We’re not testing whether people like the reviewer. We’re testing whether one recurring pick makes choosing easier and gives people a reason to come back.

Building the anticipation

A tease on Monday. A reveal on Tuesday, shared by Netflix and the reviewer. During the test, the tease stays inside the app, so the comparison group doesn’t see it coming. Nothing elaborate. Just enough to make people wonder what’s coming next.

What to measure

Do people watch the pick, press play faster, and enjoy it? A month later, are they still coming back? Better yet, are they looking forward to it? And total viewing has to hold, not just move from one film to another.

Where I’d look first

Members who scroll the longest before picking anything. If I’m right, Tuesday nights get noticeably quicker for them.

The catch

Netflix’s shuffle button didn’t stick. But shuffle gives you something when you ask. Random Tuesday gives you something to anticipate.

What would change my mind?

If people try it once and don’t come back. If choosing doesn’t get any easier. Or if viewing just moves from one film to another.

No Netflix data assumed. Film choices are illustrative. Availability varies by country, so it might have to be one film per region.

Okay, one wild card.

The wild card

When did a category become a collection?

Be honest.

Netflix has a category for practically everything. Critically Acclaimed. Binge‑Worthy. Feel-Good Movies.

I’m convinced there’s one for films featuring a man in a blue shirt.

And look, categories are useful. But there’s a difference between putting films in the same room and giving them a reason to be there.

Think of an art exhibition. Not every painting gets a spot on the wall.

Because a collection isn’t about everything that fits.
It’s about what deserves to be there.

NetflixCategories

Critically Acclaimed

Binge-Worthy

Feel-Good Movies

Films Featuring a Man in a Blue Shirt

Now, imagine:

Illustrative picks. Choose a poster to step into its collection. Availability varies by country.

A little personality. A different perspective.
Maybe a few gems you would’ve never thought to watch.

Because Netflix already knows what I’ve watched.

But what about everything I don’t even know I’m missing?

And while we’re at it, what if I could create my own?

Think Spotify playlists, but for Netflix.

Because honestly, My List is starting to look like a graveyard of good intentions.

What if I could take my favorite films and shows, give them a name, and make a collection of my own?

Keep it private. Share it with friends. Let someone else discover something through my taste for once.

Just a thought.

NetflixMy List

Final episodeOne more thing

Wait. There’s one more thing.

I’ve just spent all this time complaining about the 37 rows on my Netflix homepage. And what have I done? Come up with four more things Netflix could add.

Okay, let’s address the elephant in the room.

Late at night, a huge, shy elephant is squeezed into a small armchair in a tiny living room, its head pressed against the ceiling. It hides behind a cushion, blushing, with the TV glow and rows of thumbnails reflected in its eyes.

Replace noise.
Don’t add to it.

None of these ideas work if they just become another row to scroll past.

So maybe we need to rethink the homepage first. What if Home did a little less, but helped us find a little more?

Concept: Home
NetflixHomeShowsMoviesNew & PopularMy List

Row 1 of 37

Illustrative. Row names and picks are examples.

The proposal isn’t to remove content. It’s to make discovery more intentional, while leaving deeper browsing in Movies and Shows.

Maybe it was never only about attention.

None of this is a knock on Netflix. It built its reputation on stories people couldn’t stop talking about, and that’s still why most of us are subscribed. Our attention spans might be a little worse for wear. But we’re still here. These ideas are just ways to help us remember why.

A few ideas. Not answers.

Convince me I’m wrong.
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