Netflix tests biggest redesign of its TV app in 10 years

Netflix (NFLX.O), opened a new tab, beginning to roll out the first major revamp of its TV app in a decade on Thursday, testing changes designed to help viewers decide more quickly what they want to watch.

Netflix (NFLX.O), opened a new tab, beginning to roll out the first major revamp of its TV app in a decade on Thursday, testing changes designed to help viewers decide more quickly what they want to watch.

The video streaming pioneer wants to increase the time viewers spend on the app to help retain customers and attract subscribers to its new cheaper ad-supported plans.

The company's research showed that users were performing what Netflix executive Pat Flemming called "eye gymnastics," or looking at various parts of the Netflix home screen, when trying to find a title they were interested in.

Viewers' eyes moved quickly from "the name of the lineup to today's topics, to the cover, to the video, back to the synopsis," Flemming, senior director of member products, told Reuters in an interview. "We really wanted to make that simpler, more intuitive, everything easier to navigate."

Revisions to the home page included enlarging title cards, reorganizing information and highlighting easy-to-read details, such as that a program or movie "spent 8 weeks in the top 10."

Netflix will continue to offer personalized suggestions to each user. It is not making changes to its recommendations algorithm as part of the redesign, Flemming said.

A subset of Netflix's nearly 270 million users worldwide will watch the new format starting Thursday. The company will take feedback and possibly make changes before rolling it out more broadly.

Netflix has been emphasizing interaction time as a key metric, telling investors it is the "best indicator of customer satisfaction." The company will stop regularly reporting subscriber numbers next year to change Wall Street's approach.

Among other changes to the TV app, the menu button was moved from the left to the top of the screen. A new "My Netflix" tab was added, with shows or movies that a user has started watching, or saved to watch later.Collaboration: Grupo Auge | Reuters (International).