Redesigned Netflix mobile app to include vertical video feeds
Redesigned Netflix mobile app to include vertical video feeds
Customers will soon be able to scroll through vertical video lists on Netflix, just as they can on YouTube.
The new Streaming War is shaping up, only this time it appears to be a battle between just two opponents: Netflix and YouTube. The two are poised for an epic battle over customer engagement, and Netflix executives aren’t afraid to concede that the tactics of their opponent are sometimes effective. During Tuesday’s conference call with analysts to discuss its fourth quarter 2025 earnings, Netflix officials revealed their next plan for competing with YouTube, including the borrowing of a highly popular feature from the platform.
Key Details:
- In the works: Netflix is planning a redesign of its mobile app.
- Stand tall: A new vertical video feed will be at the center of the app’s makeover.
- Strong synergy: The addition of video podcasts to Netflix will allow vertical feeds to be stocked with a bigger variety of content.
During the company’s Q4 earnings call, Netflix executives said the company plans to update its mobile app in the coming months — though a specific launch date was not revealed. The centerpiece of this revamp will be a new vertical video feed that allows viewers to swipe up or down to see something new, as they can on YouTube and other platforms.
The streamer first announced it was testing vertical video in 2025. However, it spent most of the year working out the bugs from the update of its connected TV app, and vertical video did not exit the testing phase last year.
Now, vertical video is ready to have its moment in the spotlight. During the earnings call, Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters indicated that the addition of video podcasts would help Netflix diversify the content in its vertical feeds, which have henceforward consisted mostly of clips from Netflix shows and movies.
“You can imagine us bringing more clips based on new content types, like video podcasts,” Peters said.
Netflix has made video podcast licensing deals with iHeartMedia as well as Spotify in recent months, and those deals specify that any podcasts sent to the streamer cannot appear elsewhere in video form. Tie it all together, and the service’s strategy for competing with YouTube becomes readily apparent.
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”