Netflix Tests First Big TV App Redesign in Years

Netflix revealed last week that it is testing a major redesign of the Home screen on its TV app. The first major redesign in about a decade is still being rolled out and aims to make it easier and quicker to find and select shows based on user interests.

According to The Verge, the updated homepage will replace the current static tiles for shows and movies with boxes that automatically expand to display easily readable details like a show’s runtime, synopsis, trailer, and number of episodes.

“We often see members doing gymnastics with their eyes as they’re scanning the home experience,” Pat Flemming, Netflix’s senior director of product, told The Verge. “We really wanted members to have an easier time figuring out if a title is right for them.”

In addition to reorganizing and consolidating show and movie information, Netflix is relocating the menu button from the left side to the top of the screen. Users can press the Back button on their remote to automatically access the top-row menu instead of scrolling manually.

The new streamlined menu has dropped some of the existing options like “categories”, “new & popular”, and “my list” buttons. It now includes options like search, home, shows, movies, and a new “My Netflix” tab, which was already introduced on its mobile app in 2023.

Viewers who are still interested in the “categories” option can access it by clicking the “search” tab on the redesigned homepage.

The changes, initially available to a select group of Netflix subscribers with smart TVs and other streaming devices, could be rolled out to other users if the feedback is positive. “If this goes well, which we are enthusiastic [about] and hope that it will, then we would love to share this with most of the member base in the coming months and quarters,” said Flemming.