Netflix launches new Play Something feature on TV

Can’t decide what to watch on Netflix? Well, they’ve made your work a whole lot easier by introducing a Play Something button on TV, which is now available globally. In an announcement made by the streaming giant on Wednesday, the feature was revealed with a voiceover from BoJack Horseman himself - Will Arnett - who voices a remote that is tired of its buttons being pushed.

Netflix has been testing the Play Something button out for the last nine months, which started out as Shuffle Play. The idea behind this feature is that if the user is in a fix on what to watch, Netflix will pick a recommendation from its catalogue - a series or a show - depending on the user’s past preferences.

The Play Something button will ensure that users get a fresh list of titles to pick from, which may be something they have never seen before, something that is on their list or something they are currently watching. In case the user does not like what has been played for them, they can hit the Play Something Else button unlimited times till they land on a show or movie that caters to their interest.

In the announcement video, Netflix features a couple that is having trouble settling on something to watch, when Will Arnett steps in as a remote to help them out by making them use the new feature. “Sometimes the best choice is not to choose,” he says.

Though the Play Something button is going to prove efficient for many users, profiles with multiple users might not benefit from it since it does not consider the tastes of multiple profiles before picking something specifically for the user. The feature is also restricted to TVs and living room devices for the time being.

The Play Something button can be accessed under the profile selection screen under the user’s name. It can also be reached from the navigation venue and be found on the Netflix homepage.