Netflix’s New Playback Speed Feature Is Getting Backlash From Creators
But how else will we binge everything before we die?
Life comes at you fast — particularly if you’re creating shows for Netflix.
The streaming company just announced that they’re testing a feature that allows Netflix’s mobile users to speed up and slow down video content through its player. The news has raised the hackles of those who create its content — a screwball comedy plot worthy of one of the service’s low-budget, never-ending Adam Sandler movies.
In the last month, Netflix has let some users toy with how they consume content on the mobile app, including altering brightness — something that would have prevented much public outrage had Game of Thrones been streaming on the service — and the speed at which they watch content.
Netflix introduced the feature because it was “frequently requested by our members,” explained Keela Robison, Netflix’s vice president, in a statement. Robison highlighted examples of viewers wanting to do the opposite of the obvious use case — slowing down the speed of footage, in order to better understand a foreign-language film, for instance.
But the real reason Netflix viewers may want to use the feature is perhaps simpler: They’re drowning under a torrent of…
