Netflix is making changes to the way that it ranks its content for popularity which should make for a better way of choosing your next favourite film or TV series.
Until now, the popularity algorithm has focused on the number of accounts which have accessed each piece of content, rather than the total amount of time each programme has been streamed for. Whichever way it's done, though, hit TV show Squid Game currently remains on top.
When cruising for something to watch, one of the first lines of suggested content in the Netflix app's UI focuses on what's popular in your region. Currently, though, that order is based on any account which has watched a minimum of two minutes within its first 28 days on the platform. Given the hit and miss nature of these things, Netflix has recognised that that's perhaps not the best metric of quality.
Instead, the new system should help create a shorter route to finding something that you're likely to stick with. According to a letter to Netflix shareholders, as unearthed by The Verge, the shift to the new system will take place at the beginning of next year.
By the two-minute standard, Squid Game has been watched an enormous 142 million subscriber households globally in its first four weeks, nearly double that of the 82 million who tuned into period drama Bridgerton: Season 1, the previous No.1 show.
While the exact figures of the hours-watched metric aren't available, 89 per cent of people who started the show watched at least 75 minutes, and 87 million people finished the entire series in the first 23 days. That's massive, either way.
We look forward to the second season and a better experience on Netflix for 2022.
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