Advertising Age noticed that Netflix is quietly testing TV network brand pages for some channels (but not ABC, CBS, Fox, etc.).
These pages, which Netflix is trying out with a few cable networks, let Netflix users browse shows by TV network. Viacom , the parent of MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central, and Discovery Communications, whose networks include Animal Planet and TLC, appear to be the first companies testing these pages.
But finding the network-branded pages is not quite as easy as turning on a channel guide. If subscribers type the phrase "MTV" in the Netflix search bar they will be taken to a results page with a hyperlink that, when clicked, reveals a list of all MTV shows available to stream.
Netflix isn't touting these pages; in fact, it almost appears as though it is trying to hide them. When asked about the existence of these network hubs, Netflix said only: "We're always testing ways to make Netflix easier, simpler, better."
Here's the search results for MTV:
When you click on the link, you'll see the following page for MTV:
Do you want Netflix to list shows by channel?
I think this is a case of everything old being new again, as I remember years ago they had a similar feature. Back then, among the categories listed on the "Television" page were BBC, CBS, PBS, A&E, and a few other big networks that had distinctive brands for their shows. When they only had a few TV series available this was a very useful thing, but I guess they moved away from this when it became unwieldy. And now we've come full circle!
Posted by: snowmaiden | March 13, 2012 at 07:25 AM
Agree, with snowmaiden. This has come full circle. They did this several years ago, or whenever Instant Watch first came into existence.
Posted by: Scott Howell | March 13, 2012 at 08:25 AM
What's a channel?
Posted by: davedave | March 13, 2012 at 09:49 AM
More ways to find your favorite shows is always appreciated, especially for someone like myself who navigates mostly using a mouse while my keyboard is half way across my living room.
I know I do this on Hulu.
Posted by: Turkey | March 13, 2012 at 09:50 AM
Hell yeah, early on they had the ability to search by channel that's part of why I cut the cable.
Not sure why they got rid of it, but they did within 3-5 months of my cutting the cord.
This was about 5+ years ago
Posted by: chris | March 13, 2012 at 11:44 AM
I don't usually know what channel shows were on, or if I do then it's probably something like "Lost was on channel 7", and the number varies by area so that's not too helpful. But I guess if someone's thinking "Hey there used to be this great science fiction show on FOX but I can't remember what it was called, it'd be nice if they could list everything that's ever been on FOX and try to recognize it from the picture.
Posted by: paul | March 13, 2012 at 12:15 PM
Last night I went to watch Netflix on the 360 and one of the custom genres based on stuff you've been watching recently ("80's Action Movies", "Political Documentaries", etc) just said "Syfy Shows" and had a bunch of shows listed that air on that network.
Posted by: BigMack9737 | March 13, 2012 at 01:16 PM
HBO makes great documentaries that aren't publicized to non-subscribers. ESPN has been producing some good docs too. I like it.
Posted by: Jonseals | March 13, 2012 at 02:48 PM
This was a feature I used a lot when I first got Netflix. We used it to find PBS and BBC programs. Then it disappeared. They should just let things that work alone.
Posted by: nann | March 13, 2012 at 05:43 PM
As was mentioned previously in the comments they used to have this feature. It was handy for looking for shows from a specific channel if you weren't after a specific show or didn't know the name of the show. Typically for me it was: I wonder if there is anything new from discovery channel available to instant watch. Without the feature I have to go to discovery site and then go back and forth performing a search for each show. Very tedious to which I welcome this feature back and hope it remains.
Posted by: Jason | March 13, 2012 at 06:21 PM
I can get behind this, but the sad thing is that if they had started this experiment by 2011, we'd still have Criterion movies.
Posted by: EricW | March 13, 2012 at 09:08 PM
I definitely think it's useful (I virtually always know what network a show aired on).. But it's only for watch instantly, not DVDs? Bummer.
Posted by: bigqueue | March 13, 2012 at 09:39 PM
Here are a some hidden categories:
For movies released in the 1920s use URL http://movies.netflix.com/WiAltGenre?vtid=15&vt=tg
Change the number after vtid= for different decades.
vtid=16 for 1930s, vtid=17 for 1940s, etc.
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Posted by: Moncler sale | March 14, 2012 at 04:10 AM
Netflix listing shows by channels just works better. Search and categories are great, but the option to zero in on a network helps users find their favorite shows easier. Netflix can do a lot of good with this move. My wife currently uses this feature on Hulu Plus and just watches shows on ABC. I prefer only watching shows on History Channel and Biography Channel - this is a win!
Posted by: Joe Stuart | March 14, 2012 at 08:33 AM
I think this is terrific. It is a good setup for the future with this value add.
Posted by: Chris | March 14, 2012 at 09:04 AM
oh
Posted by: troll | March 14, 2012 at 02:44 PM
Netflix, which continues to be cited as a probable reason (along with the economy) cable subscribers are scaling back monthly access to pay-TV channels, has recently upped talks with multichannel video program distributors looking to bow subscription video-on-demand services.
Posted by: Facebook Page Developer | March 15, 2012 at 12:00 AM
It's not so much searching "by channel" as it is searching by title. You can do the same thing by searching History Channel, PBS, Discovery Channel documentaries, and it has been that way. You can type in James Bond and get James Bond movies as search results. It's just smart searching.
Posted by: Galagatron | March 15, 2012 at 06:14 AM
It would be a smart move if they'd take this to the next step and have movies listed by studio as well.
Posted by: Donald | March 15, 2012 at 08:56 AM
@Donald
That would be funny to see.
Posted by: Chris | March 15, 2012 at 09:11 AM
Except for Disney & Pixar (yes I know Pixar is now owned by Disney), I think that it's well over an order of magnitude fewer people know movies by studio, than TV shows by channel on which they air.
Posted by: bigqueue | March 15, 2012 at 06:36 PM
The movies the tv shows used have a link called tv stations but is removed but is still their on some area. Netflix needs to bring it back.
Posted by: Noor | March 15, 2012 at 09:16 PM
"used have a link called tv stations but is removed but is still their on some area"
Can you rephrase this in English?
Posted by: Tino | March 16, 2012 at 12:58 AM