Netflix considers mobile-only edits of its original shows

By Sam Barsanti | March 16, 2017 | 9:23pm

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Despite being in a relatively unique position as a content distribution service, Netflix doesn’t usually go out of its way to do the sorts of things that only it can do—like going crazy with sex and violence or letting its original TV shows have wildly varied episode lengths. According to The Verge, though, Netflix is actually considering one weird thing that normal TV and movie studios can’t do, but it’s unfortunately not quite as fun as going crazy with sex and violence is. Apparently, the streaming service is going to “explore” the possibility of developing versions of its original shows and movies that are specifically deigned to look and sound better on a mobile phone.

As the Verge story notes, most people in the United States watch Netflix on TVs, but as the streaming service continues expanding in other countries, the number of people who watch videos primarily on mobile phones is growing. That means some scenes or shots “can be hard to see or can appear diminished” to the people who only see them on small screens, so Netflix is interested in coming up with a way to specially tailor its content for these phone people.