Netflix Removing Online Reviews in August

Megalith

Megalith

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Netflix currently allows desktop users/subscribers to write and read reviews of TV shows and movies, but the streaming giant will be removing that feature in the coming months, as it “has seen declining usage over time.” This follows the company’s decision to switch from 5-star ratings to a more simplified thumbs-up, thumbs-down system.

The streaming service began notifying members who’ve used the feature recently that they will no longer be able to write reviews by the end of July. Come August, the reviews will disappear altogether. It’s not like there’s a dearth of reviews for Netflix’s shows online or through traditional media outlets. Still, the decision produced a modest backlash on social media among armchair critics.
 
Well in case of tv shows, saying armchair critics is not actually demeaning. How else would you watch TV shows?
 
That is a cheap move and will lead to a falsely positive appearance for some fairly crappy shows.

I like that amazon show the imdb rating on a lot of their content when you mouseover thumbnails or view the show's page - as well as their own user reviews.

I often enjoy reading other peoples reviews too and sharing in their feeling of stuff they love, it's rather sad to remove this side of the contents "entertainment".
 
Do the various apps have reviews? AFAICT, the Windows app does not (but I wish it did). I'm not sure why they're going this way. That's one thing that's nice about Amazon is that they link to IMDB, so you've got a solid set of reviews (and far less trolls than on RT)
 
For some reason Netflix wants me to watch NCIS. I refuse to do this. They want me to watch NCIS so badly that images of Mark Harmon in a baseball cap makes me twitch.

Anything that Netflix does to relieve this will be welcome.
 
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Patton187 said:
We can't have people realizing just how much trash is mixed in with the one or two shows they are actually paying for now can we?
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eh most people use imdb or rotten tomato these days, i honestly didn't even know there were reviews of shows/movies on netflix and i've been using it since it started, lol.
 
sirmonkey1985 said:
eh most people use imdb or rotten tomato these days, i honestly didn't even know there were reviews of shows/movies on netflix and i've been using it since it started, lol.
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don't forget metacritic, opencritic and cinemascore
 
Reviews are subjective, and not every movie/show is going to jive with everyone. Even a crappy movie with every crappy movie element has a fan base, because it's so crappy that it's somehow good.

I would be happy to see Big Bang Theory go away and never be spoken about ever again. But it has a fan base and one that I don't understand how they can enjoy that drivel.
 
I'm torn because I think thumbs up and thumbs down is way too simplified, but I also think that if something isn't 5 stars people won't watch it. 4 stars is not the same as 1 star.
 
sirmonkey1985 said:
eh most people use imdb or rotten tomato these days, i honestly didn't even know there were reviews of shows/movies on netflix and i've been using it since it started, lol.
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IMDB got rid of their comment section a couple of years ago. A shame, because I often checked them for opinions outside of what the critics say about it. I guess Rotten Tomatoes is still left in that regard, but I just don't use it that much.
 
They just need to get rid of ratings all together. The thumbs up/down is a pile of poo itself.
 
Thumbs Down...I like reading reviews...the ESPN website also removed their comments section recently....
 
As much as I like netflix this push to eliminate users ability to filter content is getting irritating. The removal of the star system has really made it difficult for non PC platforms to avoid shit. Sure the star rating system wasn't perfect, but it at least gave me an idea of what to expect. I don't want to go research every single damn show before I watch it, I want to just surf sometimes. The thumbs up thumbs down system is straight useless garbage. I've wasted more time on absolutely shitty shows since that system got implemented.
 
Madoc said:
IMDB got rid of their comment section a couple of years ago. A shame, because I often checked them for opinions outside of what the critics say about it. I guess Rotten Tomatoes is still left in that regard, but I just don't use it that much.
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true they did but in return the reviews people post have actually gotten better for the most part.. they had to get rid of it though because it was impossible for them to police the bot's and moron posters.
 
sirmonkey1985 said:
true they did but in return the reviews people post have actually gotten better for the most part.. they had to get rid of it though because it was impossible for them to police the bot's and moron posters.
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IMDB had to get rid of the forums section. 90%+ of it was nothing but a giant festering boil the size of the sun. The occasional decent conversation was badly outnumbered by the horrible bitching, whining and trolling.

As for Netflix, I don't even bother to look at any type of ratings. As already stated, once the star rating system was removed I had no use for any type of ratings. I don't particularly care about the reviews going away as I never bothered to read them either. I did want a rating system, though. I still think a double rating system would have been the best. They already do the "recommended for you" stuff which I find pretty much useless. It would have been better with that as a 5 star rating system based on what they think you like along with another 5 star rating system by the users.
 
Can't say I have ever read user reviews on Netflix. I forgot they were even still a thing.
 
Part of catering to millennials. Can’t have negative reviews spoiling the shiny, pretty icon. They might not watch it.
 
I'm really wondering why I chose to waste my time in front of the TV watching steaming from Netflix and Amazon prime. And generally the pattern is I'm drained from 8 hrs of work and I just want to veg. I spend MOST of that veg time trying to find something interesting to watch instead of watching something interesting.
What a colossal waste of time. I'm reminded the older I get the less time I have to waste anyway.
 
I'm hoping they retain at least the thumbs up/down system, even if they pull the user-written reviews.

The real problem for me isn't the user reviews, it is that by removing the thumbs up/down thing, and with the rather extensive category filter removed some time ago, I can't self-filter shit Netflix surfaces for me.

I don't give a damn about stand-up specials, for instance, and after a few months of thumbs-downing them, they stopped surfacing anywhere but the "Netflix Originals" and the top of the page auto-play adverts. There's a host of other content (kids shows, talk shows, women's prison shows, Sandler, Nye, etc) that I don't give a damn about.

I guess I should mention that the vast majority of my Netflix (and Prime) viewing is on a Windows PC via browser.
 
SmokeRngs said:
IMDB had to get rid of the forums section. 90%+ of it was nothing but a giant festering boil the size of the sun. The occasional decent conversation was badly outnumbered by the horrible bitching, whining and trolling.
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so, your saying, just like most places on the internet??

LOL
 
Probably too much negative reviews for the SJW driven programming the media/left wish to protect
 
JNavy89GT said:
Probably too much negative reviews for the SJW driven programming the media/left wish to protect
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Pretty much. It probably won't help the shills writing fake reviews either. My biggest gripe with netflix is like Croak said, it is getting more annoying and harder to filter out the crud I'm not interested in or finding out new stuff I am. I don't want new tv shows, just new movies etc.. Nope, they'll just show you all new stuff.
 
with 5 start rating system I can rate something as average and give it 3 stars... with up or down voting... anything less than 4 stars is a down... time is limited and I wouldnt recommend something to someone unless I thought it was worth the time/money to invest in it.
 
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