Netflix rolls out revamped website, its first major update in 4 years

After confirming it was coming, Netflix has finally launched its new website globally. The revamp is rolling out starting today — though if you don’t see it yet, don’t fret; the company says it may take up to two weeks to reach all members.

This is the website’s first major update in four years. In short, the new design was built from the ground up to make it faster and easier for users to find something to watch on Netflix.

This design really aims to catch up with the Web’s evolution: Netflix points out that “web browsers have changed a lot” over the past four years, especially when it comes to supporting richer visuals and animations. In fact, the company says a “small number of members on older versions of popular browsers” will get a prompt to upgrade their browser before they can access the new site.

The new Netflix website doesn’t just look different. In addition to what the company says is “a richer, more visual experience,” the site also apparently “works more like an app” rather than just “a series of linked web pages.”

What that means is information appears in-line instead of on individual pages. You can thus explore all of Netflix’s content without having to constantly hit that back button.

As you can see above, hovering your mouse cursor over a title will now show you a slideshow of images from that movie or show. The description is still there, but again you don’t have to navigate away from the page.

If you actually click on the title or synopsis, you’ll get an inline details pane. From there, you can browse episodes, read details and reviews, explore similar titles by clicking “More Like This,” and jump off to titles from the same cast, genre, or mood.

Netflix members are also spending more and more time using mobile and tablet apps. This design attempts to address this trend as well: Touchscreen users can tap to play or open details, and swipe to scroll through rows of titles.

Last but not least, scrolling through rows is now much faster. You can tap or click to advance a full row at a time.

All of this adds up to what Netflix hopes will be a better experience for the viewer. That should translate to more enthusiasm for using the service, regardless of what device you’re using.