Netflix is reportedly expanding its pool of ‘preview viewers’

Starting next year, a lot more Netflix viewers will reportedly be able to watch its originals before they become available for streaming. According to The Wall Street Journal, the streaming service is expanding its pool of preview viewers early next year to include as many as tens of thousands of subscribers around the world from its current group of around 2,000 people. 

When Variety reported about the company’s focus group earlier this year, the publication said that Netflix has been asking subscribers if they want to join “a community of members to view and give feedback on upcoming movies and series” since at least May 2021. “It’s simple, but an incredibly important part of creating best-in-class content for you and Netflix members all around the world,” the email reportedly said. Apparently, Netflix asks members of the group to watch several unreleased shows and movies over the course of six months. They then have to fill out a survey form to tell the company what they liked and what they didn’t. 

In The Journal’s newer report, it said the streaming service calls the group the “Netflix Preview Club” and that the Leonardo DiCaprio/Jennifer Lawrence starrer Don’t Look Up was one of the movies that benefited from its feedback. The movie was initially too serious, the preview group’s members reportedly told Netflix, and the film’s creators chose to listen to them and ratcheted up its comedic elements. 

As The Journal notes, Netflix is known for giving creators a lot of creative freedom — even if it doesn’t always lead to great content — so running a preview group has been tricky. The company has apparently been careful when it comes to sharing feedback with creators and has not been forcing changes. It’s still the creators’ decision whether to incorporate changes based on the previewers’ response.