You may soon see personalized movie trailers on Netflix
What's the story
Netflix is working on a technology that could customize its content recommendations and the videos themselves. The move signals a potential future of highly personalized streaming experiences. Recent patents granted to Netflix show that the company is looking at creating tailored trailers and interactive movies/shows. These variations shall be based on data Netflix collects from its users.
Patent details
How will it work?
One patent, described in a patent application, outlines a process for Netflix to create different trailers for the same movie, each tailored to individual users. The company said in a statement to Business Insider that "the trailer may highlight movie clips that showcase an actor or actress that the user has shown an interest in." It could also highlight certain segments showing the genre or comedic moments of the movie.
Broad application
Principles of the patent
The first patent mainly deals with movie trailers. However, it notes its principles can be applied to "full-length movies, trailers for television shows or full-length television shows, trailers for audio books or full-length audio books, etc." This broad application indicates Netflix's ambition to personalize a wide range of content on its platform.
Tech innovation
Interactive, choose-your-own-adventure-style content
The second patent details a machine learning method for making interactive, choose-your-own-adventure-style content. The technique would customize choices based on individual viewers' profile data. For example, it could present a romantic-themed choice to someone whose viewing history suggests an interest in that genre. This innovative approach could bring back Netflix's earlier attempts at interactive storytelling, with titles like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend.