Tiktok’s meteoric rise to social media dominance has some major services scrambling to find ways to replicate its success. The latest of these is Netflix, who announced on Wednesday, March 3 the immediate launch of their new Fast Laughs feature.
Available on iOS in select countries including the US, UK, Canada and Australia, Fast Laughs borrows the look and feel of TikTok to bring attention to Netflix’s many comedic movies, TV shows, and standup specials. The new feature brings users humorous clips, ranging from 15 to over 45 seconds, from the streaming giant’s original programming.
“We wanted to give members a fun, fast and intuitive way to discover our catalog by letting these comedic moments across genres speak for themselves in a mobile-native, full-screen experience,” said Netflix.
Photo: YouTube
In addition to viewing up to 100 clips per day, users will be able to add programs to their watch list and react with a “LOL” button that triggers an explosion of “crying laughing” emojis.
“We worked hard to cut to just what was necessary in an intentional and minimalist UI design, from the transparent tab bar to ways to react in the moment (“LOL”) and plan [users’] next laugh by adding to their list,” the streaming company said.
Netflix vs. TikTok
Netflix has been carefully eyeing TikTok for some time. In a 2020 letter to shareholders, the company cited the social media app as a direct competitor.
According to the Verge, web users now spend more time watching TikTok’s user-generated content than Netflix’s catalog of professionally-made entertainment.
Netflix executives hope by embracing the look of TikTok and other social media platforms, they can help users discover their deep well of original content.
“We’re always looking for new ways to entertain and make discovery easier for members,” said Patrick Flemming, director of product innovation at Netflix.
Iphone users can access Fast Laughs in the bottom navigation menu of the Netflix app. In addition to saving titles and reacting, users can share clips with other Netflix subscribers.
The feature also arrives with content management tools that parents may find useful. Clips can be filtered according to your account’s content maturity level settings. In addition, the Fast Laughs feature is not accessible from kids’ profiles. This all add to Netflix’s current parental controls.