Netflix’s next revamp on mobile will be all about vertical video
Netflix sees vertical video as a great way to promote its new video podcasts within the app. The social media-inspired expansion is coming this year.
Netflix has confirmed that its social-media inspired vertical video update will see a major expansion in 2026. During the company’s earnings call on Tuesday, Netflix announced a revamp of its mobile app is incoming, which will include more of the short-form videos presented in the portrait aspect ratio.
Netflix has been testing the Instagram-like short videos over the last few months and, this week, said the format could be used to boost and promote the new video podcasts coming to the app. The company’s co-CEO Greg Peters says the update will “better serve the expansion of our business over the decade to come,” during the earnings call.
It seems Netflix sees the format as an opportunity to showcase content rather than producing new content to suit the medium. I’m not against some short films being presented in this manner, for instance, but it doesn’t seem like that’s on the cards for now.
He said (via Motley Fool): “Just as you’ve seen us do with the new TV UI, we’re working on a new mobile UI that will better serve the expansion of our business over the decade to come. We’re gonna roll this out later in 2026. And just like our TV UI, it then becomes a starting point. It becomes a platform for us to continue to iterate, test, evolve, and improve our offerings. We got more vertical video coming for you.”
He went on to say: “We’ve actually been testing vertical video features for some time, about six months or so. We’ve had a vertical video feed in the mobile experience that’s been available for several months. So, that feed is filled with clips of Netflix, Inc. shows and movies. You can imagine us bringing more clips based on new content types like video podcasts, which Ted mentioned that we’re adding to the general service. We’ll bring the, you know, sort of appropriate components of that into that vertical video feed. And really, this is part of a broader upgrade of our mobile experience.”
Given a large part of Netflix’s target audience is used to consuming media in this format, it makes sense Netflix would adapt to suit trends. It might actually be more convenient than turning the phone sideways to watch a short in landscape for instance.
Chris Smith
