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Netflix 'Post Play' Automatically Queues Up Next TV Episode

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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For those of you who would like to veg out and watch the first four seasons of Breaking Bad uninterrupted on Netflix, the streaming service has got your back.

Netflix today announced the addition of "post play" to its Watch Instantly streaming service. Now, if you're watching multiple episodes of a TV series, you'll no longer have to click to watch the next episode; post-play will automatically queue it up. As the credits roll on episode one, Netflix will minimize it in a small box and start up episode two in the main viewer within 15 seconds.

An example of the feature is illustrated in the video below.

For movies, Netflix will minimize the credits and offer up three recommendations for users to try next. "If those don't suit you, you can always go directly to search from post-play or go back to browsing to find something else," Netflix said in a blog post.

At this point, post-play is only available on the Web and via the PlayStation 3, but it will roll out to other devices soon, Netflix said. The company has apparently been testing it in recent weeks, because PCMag's Wendy Sheehan Donnell, who has a PS3, reported that the feature has been live for some time, helping her husband power through episodes of the BBC's Top Gear.

Netflix said it was inspired to add post-play because of the many users who sit down and watch multiple episodes of a TV show at once. "It is almost a phenomenon," the company said.

Some commenters on the Netflix blog, however, were not particularly thrilled with the feature.

"As it happens, I am watching the credits. I am savoring the moment of reflection, the mood, whatever it is, that the artist has put into the content and letting the music and the emotion take me further," one subscriber wrote. "Keep your mitts out of my content. Are popup ads in the middle of the movie next?"

Others said they used the credits as a time for bathroom or snack breaks and don't want the next episode to start automatically.

Another user said post-play is a "killer feature I've wanted for years," but questioned why it wasn't rolled out as an optional setting. "I went to sleep last night watching a soothing episode of 'The Universe' and woke up 3 hours later with it continuing playing 3 episodes later."

Netflix said it will ask users to confirm that they want to continue watching after a few episodes to "avoid the scenario where it keeps playing while you're asleep."

Amidst the complaints, however, one Netflix user told the others to suck it up. "I think that most people on the internet just like to complain, moan and groan about stuff," he wrote. "For everyone complaining it's called the stop button and I don't know about anyone else but I was always taught not to fall asleep with the TV on, that's just plain wasteful."

The post-play announcement comes shortly after Netflix announced plan to launch its streaming service in Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland by the end of the year.

About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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