Netflix Finally Adds Social Sharing In US Market

It’s not often that Ireland and the UK are ahead of the US when it comes to “social” features. However in the case of Netflix Irish users have been able to share (or torment) their viewing habits with their social network since the service launched last year.

This is now launching in the US and they’re really proud of themselves :) So proud they’ve even made a video about the “new” feature:

(admittedly the lack of the feature was due to legal issues in the US .. see release below)

NETFLIX MAKES FINDING TV SHOWS AND MOVIES EASIER WITH FRIENDS
Facebook Integration Adds Social Dimension For U.S. Netflix Members

LOS GATOS, Calif., March 13, 2013 –Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ: NFLX) today introduced new social features that make it easier and more fun to find TV shows and movies to watch and discuss with friends.

Starting today, Netflix streaming members in the U.S. can link their Netflix account to Facebook. The new Netflix/Facebook integration lets Netflix members see what their friends have watched by adding new “Friends’ Favorites” and “Watched by your friends” rows to Netflix. Members also automatically share what they watch only within Netflix and can optionally share what they’ve watched to Facebook. All U.S. Netflix members will have access to the social features by the end of this week.

“There are few better ways to find a movie or TV series you’ll love than hearing about it from your friends,” said Tom Willerer, vice president of product innovation at Netflix.  “Facebook already makes it easy for our international members to connect with friends over TV shows and movies and we’re thrilled to now bring this experience to our U.S. members”

Netflix members will see an option in Netflix to connect to Facebook and agree to share their activity. After doing so, rows with titles watched by friends will display on any device that streams from Netflix, provided these friends are also connected. By default, members share what they watched only on Netflix. Members can opt to also share to Facebook by changing their Netflix “Social Settings” on Netflix.com. The Facebook connection can be disabled at any time, giving members robust control over how and when they share.

The Netflix social features will evolve with new capabilities being tested regularly. Upcoming tests include capabilities to allow members to explicitly share their favorite titles on Facebook and discuss with their friends.

“People naturally talk about TV shows and movies and love to share their experiences,” said Willerer. “Through the Netflix/Facebook integration we want to let Netflix members express themselves on Facebook and provide a digital version of the proverbial water cooler.”

“Over the years, Netflix has deepened its Facebook integration to enable people to discover movies through friends and to share what they’re watching,” said Facebook Director of Platform Partnerships and Operations Justin Osofsky. “With their integration, Netflix has a new opportunity to reach the more than one billion people on Facebook. We look forward to Netflix continuing to integrate with Facebook and offering their community rich ways to discover movies and TV shows with their friends.”

Netflix has offered social features to its international members for more than a year. The introduction of Facebook integration in the U.S. became possible when Congress updated a video sharing law earlier this year.