Netflix is not afraid of stepping to the front when it comes to innovation. Their latest development has effectively introduced A/B for viewers if their kid’s show – Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale.
Wait, what is A/B testing?
Sorry, we did get a little nerdy there. When building websites and web pages that you see everyday, developers often use a concept called A/B testing. This requires two versions of the page being built before directing people to both to see which performs better. It’s also known as split testing.
Right. What has that got to do with Netflix?
Well, it might sound mad, but Netflix is now A/B testing kids programming with something called “branching narrative episodes“.
These “branching narrative episodes” are designed to immerse Netflix viewers into the story. Viewers occasionally make one of two decisions which impacts the narrative of the story.
Netflix has been researching what kids and parents expect to see when watching TV shows. With the content created, they are now going to go further and monitor the public’s decisions in the show. In a release, Netflix’s Director of Product Innovation, Carla Engelbrecht Fisher, outlined how she is eager to learn “which choices or storylines will be the most popular? Will the mean bears or the friendly bears be more popular? Are members more compelled to rewatch and uncover all of the different storylines?”
See, they really are A/B testing with video content now.
But, that’s just like…
Yeah, I hear you. It’s just like…
… those classic choose your own adventure books. It’s exactly like that, but it’s a modern twist on it. Netflix stated they are eager yo create new non-linear storytelling platforms, so expect to see more grown up versions of these shows appearing too.
How you can play Netflix’s choose your own adventure titles
Right now, this is limited to two Netflix titles:
- Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale
- Buddy Thunderstruck: The Maybe Pile
To enjoy the interactive features, you’ll need to play these Netflix titles on:
- Many newer devices, including
- Smart TVs
- Streaming media playersG
- Game consoles
- iOS devices running the latest version of the Netflix app
Unfortunately, Android, Chromecast, Apple TV and the Netflix website do not support interactive shows. You can still watch on these platforms, but you’ll just have to watch the boring old episode without choices.