Kate Rodger: film reviewer on Netflix launching 'second screen' shows for viewers distracted by their phones

Kate Rodger: film reviewer on Netflix launching 'second screen' shows for viewers distracted by their phones

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive · 2025-02-18

Netflix knows we're more likely to be on our phones as we watch TV shows - and they're looking to appeal to distracted viewers.

The streaming giant is looking to create more content optimised for causal viewing, with an emphasis on repetitive  plot points and overly scripted dialogue. 

Film reviewer Kate Rodger says more and more viewers are repeatedly streaming the same set of shows in the background, and Netflix is hoping to tap into that.

"Whether it's Gilmore Girls, whether it's Suits - whatever it might be, we know everything that's going to happen and there's a comfort in that. It also means we don't really have to engage the brain or the synapses, we can just let it wash over us and we know what's happening." 

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Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

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