Major changes coming for Netflix subscribers

Netflix is getting its first facelift in 12 years.

The streaming giant on Wednesday announced a major overhaul of its home page, the first redesign since it unveiled its current home page in November 2013.

Additionally, the streamer announced it will begin testing generative AI-boosted search and a TikTok-like vertical video feed on mobile. While Netflix emphasised that these will initially be considered “small tests,” meaning that not all Netflix users will initially receive the tools, the global scale of the tests suggests a much larger undertaking.

The streamer’s sleek new TV home page will move its main menu from the left-hand side to the middle of the page, similar to rival Apple TV. Content descriptions will appear more compact, and recommendations will be more personalised in real-time based on browsing behaviour and the viewing time of day, the company said.

Signaling the streaming giant’s ambitions outside of TV and film, the new menu will also emphasise more of Netflix’s live events and gaming offerings, especially for users who have indicated a preference for such content.

Netflix chief product officer Eunice Kim and chief technology officer Elizabeth Stone revealed the new home page, along with the generative AI search tools and vertical video beta, to reporters on Tuesday during the company’s first-ever virtual Product and Tech event. Netflix has been working on the new home page since last year, Kim told reporters, adding that the company will roll out the experiences “in the next weeks and months.”

The first step of Netflix’s foray into generative AI-boosted search will come via an opt-in beta test on mobile. Users will be able to discover content using “natural conversational phrases like ‘I want something funny and upbeat,’” the company said.

Netflix will begin testing the mobile vertical video feature in the coming weeks. The TikTok-like feed will contain clips from Netflix shows and movies, offering users bite-sized samples of content to scroll through for discovery, with programming just a tap away.

The announcement comes less than three weeks after Netflix reported record profits during its latest quarterly report, assuaging investors’ anxieties in the face of economic chaos born from President Trump’s tariffs.

Notably, however, Netflix’s announcement comes just over one week before its May 14 upfront, when it will showcase its slate of offerings to advertisers. While Kim noted that “this wasn’t … timed to influence the upfronts,” the rebrand, coupled with Netflix’s recent performance, is sure to stir up excitement even as advertisers appear sheepish in the face of economic headwinds.