San Francisco - Video streaming giant Netflix is testing Fast Laughs, a stream of comedy clips hand-picked by Netflix, on its TV app.
The feature lets users sift through a collection of funny short videos — each about 30 seconds or longer — from shows and movies on Netflix, to introduce users to new content or help them decide on what to watch, reports The Verge.
Once users have opted into the feature (and if they are part of the test), they can access Fast Laughs by scrolling down on the Netflix homepage.
From there, users can click into the feature, where full-screen clips from Army of the Dead, Big Mouth, Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up special, and more overtake your screen.
They can use the arrows on either side of the clip to advance to the next clip or return to the previous one, and they will also get the option to add a title to List, as well as jump right into the presented show or movie.
Last year, Netflix rolled out Fast Laughs on its mobile app. As opposed to the TV version of the feature, Fast Laughs on mobile presents itself in a vertical, TikTok-like stream that users can seamlessly scroll through.
It also provides options on the right side of each clip, letting users share it, add the show to List, and react using a "LOL" button, making it more social than the TV version.
Meanwhile, online rivals YouTube have added TikTok-esque live rings feature to show when a channel is live streaming.
Fellow video sharing platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram already have this design feature in place. YouTube which launched in 2005 recently announced plans to further invest in its YouTube Shorts which directly rivals TikTok's short-form videos.
“We’ll continue to invest across our multiple formats: Shorts, Live, and video on demand (VOD),” said YouTube Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan.
“Short-form content is incredibly popular... Creators and artists of all stripes have seen the power of Shorts to connect with fans around the world with astonishing speed and scope,” he said.
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IANS (additional reporting by Shifaan Ryklief)