Netflix new "rating" system. WTH?

[Biggles]

Not that the old "star" system was that great, but it provided some sort of guide that I would usually double-check with RT or IMDb. Now it makes no sense at all - I have movies like USS Indianapolis & Adam Sandler movies - movies I would never consider wasting time watching - showing up on my profile with "90% match" ratings.

 

[TB]

My profile post from right after they changed it:

Netflix, this thumbs up/thumbs down business is pointless. I can't only love or hate a movie. A man needs options. Bring back the stars!

 

[prousonhairy]

I was ranting about this the day it switched over. Absolutely terrible idea. I hate it and have trouble finding decent movies to watch now. I started 3 different movies the other night, and ended up watching about 20-30 minutes of each before giving up on them. I'm not even going to try to figure out what that stupid percent match thing is supposed to be. It's been giving me 98% on movies that were one star movies before the change, on movies I would never watch.

I highly doubt they keep it, there's a ton of people complaining and I know of no one that likes it. If anything they need a more detailed rating system then the star system they had, like 3.25 out of 5 etc. Whomever thought of this idea should be fired, along with everyone who thought it was somehow a good idea.

Terrible idea, almost on par with Dairy Queen getting rid of Snickers blizzards, that's how bad it is.

 

[Biggles]

I was ranting about this the day it switched over. Absolutely terrible idea. I hate it and have trouble finding decent movies to watch now. I started 3 different movies the other night, and ended up watching about 20-30 minutes of each before giving up on them. I'm not even going to try to figure out what that stupid percent match thing is supposed to be. It's been giving me 98% on movies that were one star movies before the change, on movies I would never watch.

I highly doubt they keep it, there's a ton of people complaining and I know of no one that likes it. If anything they need a more detailed rating system then the star system they had, like 3.25 out of 5 etc. Whomever thought of this idea should be fired, along with everyone who thought it was somehow a good idea.

Terrible idea, almost on par with Dairy Queen getting rid of Snickers blizzards, that's how bad it is.

I agree. The old star system with an option to have half stars would have been ideal. I'm thinking that the new system is designed somehow to drive viewers to content that Netflix wants people to watch. My biggest concern is that Netflix will reduce marginal programing - documentaries, foreign films etc. - in favour of mainstream movies. This would make Netflix a much less useful resource IMO.

 

[TRGTspecialist]

Now it makes no sense at all - I have movies like USS Indianapolis & Adam Sandler movies - movies I would never consider wasting time watching - showing up on my profile with "90% match" ratings

I was ranting about this the day it switched over. Absolutely terrible idea. I hate it and have trouble finding decent movies to watch now. I started 3 different movies the other night, and ended up watching about 20-30 minutes of each before giving up on them. I'm not even going to try to figure out what that stupid percent match thing is supposed to be. It's been giving me 98% on movies that were one star movies before the change, on movies I would never watch.

That's what can happen with a system that's needs to be trained by data you supply it with, but simply hasn't got enough data yet. Presumably if you keep feeding it with ratings it will improve over time.

Interestingly this is exactly how the old ratings system worked too:

Netflix’s star ratings were personalized, and had been from the start. That means when you saw a movie on Netflix rated 4 stars, that didn’t mean the average of all ratings was 4 stars. Instead, it meant that Netflix thought you’d rate the movie 4 stars, based on your habits (and other people's ratings). But many people didn’t get that.

 

[SlipZtrEm]

Terrible idea, almost on par with Dairy Queen getting rid of Snickers blizzards, that's how bad it is.

Key word is almost!

In a way, I like the simplified approach. Rotten Tomatoes essentially does the same, really: you can look at the numeric values, but it all tends to boil down to rotten/fresh. This is now the same.

But it does seem to have issues. Perhaps, as @TRGTspecialist suggests, it's because it's just too early to get accurate readings, and it'll sort itself out down the road. I'm probably not the average Netflix user though, as I rarely take suggestions from it, so I never really consider ratings. I only ever rate things myself after I watch them... well, about 10% of the time, anyway.

 

[Tornado]

That's what can happen with a system that's needs to be trained by data you supply it with, but simply hasn't got enough data yet. Presumably if you keep feeding it with ratings it will improve over time.

Interestingly this is exactly how the old ratings system worked too:

I suspected it was something like that when I saw the gulf between the movie ratings on my account and my sister's.

 

[Biggles]

That's what can happen with a system that's needs to be trained by data you supply it with, but simply hasn't got enough data yet. Presumably if you keep feeding it with ratings it will improve over time.

Interestingly this is exactly how the old ratings system worked too:

I was under the impression that originally - some years back - the star system was based on cumulative viewers ratings & then they changed it to reflect your own rating history. If it is starting again with a new set of data, why would there be any ratings at this point? And why are the ratings that do exist so weird? Better just to start from scratch ... but why change it at all? What's the reasoning behind it?

 

[TB]

I'm probably not the average Netflix user though, as I rarely take suggestions from it, so I never really consider ratings.

I don't go much off of ratings, either, but that might be more because everyone in the house, despite having separate profiles, watches everything on mine. The kids (at least in the past) watching the likes of Phineas and Ferb, coupled with my wife's period British movies and baking shows and my usuals like Breaking Bad and Daredevil leads to some really 🤬 up suggestions.

I only ever rate things myself after I watch them... well, about 10% of the time, anyway.

I did in the past but I don't rate a lot, either. Especially now with the all or nothing setup.

 

[Robin]

Good thing I don't use Netflix then Companies always trying to "simplify" things which is a byword for remove more options. It's true that movies can't just be good and bad which is why the star system was invented in the first place. They are dumbing it down for the Facebook generation who only speak in Likes.