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Netflix is shifting its product strategy toward active participation rather than just watching. At TechCrunch Disrupt, CTO Elizabeth Stone outlined multiple product changes spanning live interaction, gaming, UI redesign and new browsing formats. The roadmap includes live audience voting inside shows, living-room party games using phones as second screens, an animated homepage for themed events and a redesigned interface for children. Netflix is also running tests of a vertical video feed on mobile devices to surface short clips from original titles in a swipeable format. Live participation And Games The first large-scale use of live voting will arrive next year with the return of “Star Search.” Viewers watching live will be able to advance or block contestants using time-bound prompts on TV or mobile. Vote windows will close for those who stream later. Stone said similar real-time response layers will extend to podcasts when Spotify’s video podcasts go live on Netflix in 2026. The company will also ship “living room party games” this year, with more in 2026, allowing the TV to act as a shared host while each participant joins from a phone. The approach mirrors popular game-pack formats built around trivia, drawing and deduction. Homepage And Kids Redesign Netflix will introduce animated and themed home screens tied to moments. A Halloween version is live, a holiday edition arrives in December and a Bridgerton variant is planned. A redesigned Kids profile is rolling out with a simplified rail layout, a new top navigation bar, and a "My Netflix" section that consolidates saved, loved and watched titles. Recommendations for kids will update in real time to reduce browsing time. Vertical Feed Experiment Netflix is testing a vertical feed of short clips from its originals on phones. The intent is to shorten decision time without replicating short-form social apps. Stone said the company is not trying to copy TikTok but to apply the format to its own discovery use case. Experiments will continue through 2026 before any wide release. Get Latest News live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from Technology Science and around the world.
