Promotional Netflix videos decried as ads

It’s easy for a Netflix subscriber to watch one episode after another of a favorite show: A viewer makes a selection and lets them keep on coming.

Netflix might interrupt a binge after several hours of inactivity by asking “Are you still watching?” and a user has to respond to keep the episodes rolling.

But now subscribers face a different interruption: promotional videos, which can last 10 to 20 seconds. Almost like a commercial, they appear between episodes, reminding viewers not to miss a different show on Netflix.

Netflix users were not happy. “If @Netflix gives us commercials I will absolutely cancel my subscription. I literally pay for no commercials,” a Twitter user identified as Gigi posted.

Netflix users griped they could neither skip nor mute the videos.

But Netflix said Sunday that the company was not adding commercials but merely testing promotional videos, which can in fact be skipped.

“We have been looking at ways to insert rich video into our experiences for several years,” said Smita Saran, a company spokeswoman.

“These video promos are actually personalized recommendations for titles we think a member may enjoy watching,” Saran said. “In this particular case, we are testing whether surfacing recommendations between episodes helps members discover stories they will enjoy faster.”

It was not clear how many subscribers were seeing the videos. Saran said the company does not comment on where such tests are conducted but that they are customarily done globally.