I religiously track the latest happenings on Netflix, given that it’s my job, and I noticed something bizarre this weekend. Netflix, on many platforms, has now completely removed the “N” in the home screen tiles that indicates something is a Netflix original.
Previously, that created a division between Netflix-made or at least fully acquired shows and ones that it had licensed, many of which would be on the site temporarily over a span of years or even months.
But…why did they do this? Netflix has declined to comment on why this happened, but there are some theories as to what’s going on here.
The biggest, most beautiful catalogue – I am willing to believe that “general audiences” for Netflix, given that most subscribers are not ultra-online media trackers, will often not know what is a Netflix original that’s staying permanently, and something that Netflix has picked up temporarily. For instance, Netflix now has Breaking Bad without a badge alongside Stranger Things without a badge and without a “temporary” signifier, that’s showing what a sprawling catalogue it has, maybe for now, maybe forever.
The “N” signifier – There are a number of viewers of Netflix who may actively avoid Netflix originals, given that there is an idea among some that Netflix shows or movies are lacking in quality compared to the licensed content they acquire (see the above Breaking Bad, for instance). But Netflix wants you at least clicking on something (where then it will show you a Netflix indicator) so you don’t write it off, if that’s your view. Conversely, if you do seek out Netflix originals, then you would no longer favor them, necessarily, over the licensed content, which Netflix also wants big views for to make those deals worthwhile.
Licensed shows appear new – “Hey, this show called ‘Mr. Robot’ was just added to Netflix. Sounds kind of cool and let’s look it up, it has amazing critic and viewer scores. Let’s check it out!” The idea here being that a badged “newly added” licensed show might easily be viewed as a Netflix original without the branding, and for many, Mr. Robot could appear as new as Ed Gein. Almost no one is tracking what new licensed shows are added to Netflix each month compared to the originals also launching that same month. So it looks like Netflix has more quality original shows than it does.
UI – I won’t rule out that this just may be a streamlined UI thing. It would differentiate itself from all other services, as pretty much every single one has its own branding on its original shows. Some services split the difference, where on HBO Max, some shows have no branding, despite being original, where some have “HBO Original,” where a “true” HBO show exudes some level of quality among viewers. I don’t think the Netflix “N” has the same effect, as mentioned.
The fact that this has been rolled out wide would indicate this is more than just a test, but we’ll see if it’s permanent or not. For me, I now have to click into every show to figure out if it’s a new Netflix show or something obscure they might have just added. Hooray.
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