The shuffle play button appearing on a Netflix user's TV. Photo / Twitter
Netflix has tens of thousands of titles offering virtually unlimited entertainment at the press of a button, which is great when you can actually choose something to watch.
The rest of the time you spend scrolling though algorithmically suggested shows and movies, maybe watching the annoying trailers that play automatically if you don't turn them off, or occasionally adding one to your list of titles you want to watch but just not right now.
But now Netflix is finally providing an option for indecisive viewers who miss the comfort of terrestrial television and the fact that something is always just on.
The streaming video on demand pioneer is trialling a new "Play Something" feature that will pick and play a title picked by its algorithm based on what you've watched in the past or what you've saved to your playlists.
According to Variety, the new feature is meant to overcome the choice paralysis of having a virtually endless collection of content.
"The purpose of the test is to make it easier for members to find something to watch," a Netflix spokesperson said.
Netflix is using the trial to decide whether to roll the feature out more widely, but "the hope is to absolutely productise something," the Netflix spokesperson told Variety.
On Twitter, one woman wrote that shuffle play on Netflix "might be the best idea yet", while another said "whoever thought that up in the board room deserves a promotion".
The feature is currently limited to the Netflix app on Smart TVs and while the trial is worldwide it isn't being offered to all users yet.
To check if it's available for you, open the Netflix app on your connected TV.
A "shuffle play" button will appear under the profile screen, on the home screen of your profile or in the sidebar menu of your TV.
