Netflix wants more of your time. Or more precisely, more of your scrolling time.
The streaming giant is rolling out a vertical video feed that looks and feels a lot like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or Reels. Yes, even Netflix knows that in 2025, the war for attention isn’t just about what you watch, it’s how you find it.
The feature, now testing globally on iOS and Android, is designed to help users “discover their next obsession” by letting them swipe through curated clips from Netflix originals. If something grabs you, you can watch it immediately, save it for later, or share it with a friend. All from a set of controls conveniently stacked in the bottom-right corner, just like your favorite short-form app.
“We know that swiping through a vertical feed on social media apps is an easy way to browse video content,” Chief Product Officer Eunice Kim said in a press briefing. “ And we also know that our members love to browse our clips and trailers to find their next obsession.” Translation: our homepage just isn’t cutting it anymore.
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This isn’t Netflix’s first flirtation with the short-form format. Remember Fast Laughs? Or Kids Clips? This new iteration feels broader, more tailored, and, crucially, more strategically aligned with the platform’s personalization engine. Instead of random snippets, the clips come from your “Today’s Top Picks,” making the feed feel more like your Netflix, not just more Netflix.
And it’s arriving at a moment when every platform, from Peacock to Tubi, is chasing the snackable content format, trying to woo audiences whose attention spans are increasingly shaped by swipes, not scrolls. For Netflix, the move is less about jumping on a trend and more about defending mobile screen time from the gravitational pull of TikTok.
Beyond vertical video, Netflix also revealed a revamped TV homepage with smarter navigation and real-time recommendations that respond to what you’ve actually been watching—or even what you’ve almost watched. For example, if you gave a thumbs up to Wednesday or just binged a trailer starring Jenna Ortega, expect your homepage to start dressing in goth real quick.
Netflix isn’t just updating its UI, it’s rethinking discovery for an audience trained by algorithms and dopamine. As competition grows and viewer habits evolve, the question for every streaming platform is the same: How do you keep people watching when you’re no longer just competing with HBO or Hulu, but with every scroll, swipe, and tap?
Short answer: You go vertical.
