From Browsing Menus to Vertical Feeds
Streaming discovery has long depended on static rows, carousels, and search boxes. Now, Netflix and Prime Video are replacing those familiar menus with vertical short-form video feeds designed to feel more like TikTok or YouTube Shorts. Both platforms have introduced a Clips experience that surfaces short, personalized video snippets instead of just posters and trailers. On Netflix, the Netflix Clips feature is part of a broader mobile redesign that emphasizes a vertical feed and faster, streamlined navigation for on-the-go viewing and browsing. Prime Video Clips, meanwhile, adopts a similar scrollable, short-form video feed interface on its mobile app. Together, these products mark a shift away from passive browsing toward algorithmic, snackable previews that invite quick swipes, instant reactions, and frictionless jumps into full-length content, fundamentally changing how users decide what to watch next.
Prime Video Clips: From NBA Highlights to Full Entertainment
Prime Video Clips started as a way to showcase short NBA highlights during the 2025–26 season via an NBA collection page, but has since expanded into a broader streaming discovery tool. The short-form video feed now pulls scenes and moments from movies and series across Prime Video’s catalog, presented in a vertical, scrollable interface tailored for mobile devices. Users access Clips from a carousel on the home page, then swipe through personalized snippets based on their viewing history. Each clip is a gateway: viewers can jump straight into the full title, rent or buy, subscribe to access, or save it to a watchlist. Sharing is built in, pushing recipients directly into the Prime Video app’s feed when they tap a link. Prime Video has also refreshed its mobile home page with autoplay trailers and vertical images, reinforcing Clips as a central discovery surface.
Netflix Clips Feature Brings Short-Form Discovery Inside the App
The Netflix Clips feature embeds a vertical short-form video feed directly into Netflix’s mobile app, turning discovery itself into entertainment. Instead of relying solely on cover art and static rows, Netflix now surfaces short, personalized video previews of movies, series, specials and, in the future, even podcasts and live programming. Users can scroll through these clips, add promising titles to My List, or instantly share recommendations via text and social platforms. This update follows a major overhaul of Netflix’s TV interface and extends the platform’s focus on simplifying navigation and making recommendations more prominent. Netflix’s product leadership positions Clips as a way to fill “moments in between” with quick laughs or discoveries, while also aiming to make the mobile experience as engaging as the shows themselves. It’s designed not just to promote content, but to keep viewers engaged inside Netflix’s ecosystem longer.
Social Media Discovery Comes to Streaming
Both Netflix and Prime Video are importing discovery patterns from social media into streaming. Short-form, vertical feeds encourage endless scrolling, rapid-fire sampling and algorithmic personalization—behaviors popularized by TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. For streaming platforms, this model solves a growing problem: vast content libraries that overwhelm viewers with choice. By presenting short, personalized clips instead of long lists of titles, these services lower the barrier to trying something new. Netflix Clips and Prime Video Clips essentially treat discovery as a mini show in itself, where viewers are entertained even while deciding what to watch. The shareability of these clips further mirrors social networks, turning individual scenes into viral hooks that can pull new audiences back into the app. This convergence suggests that streaming discovery is evolving from static browsing to a dynamic, feed-based experience driven by attention and algorithms.
Short-Form Feeds as the New Front Door to Streaming
As content libraries expand and attention spans fragment, short-form feeds are becoming the new front door to streaming services. Netflix Clips and Prime Video Clips position themselves as essential tools for personalized content discovery, not just experimental add-ons. They bridge the gap between casual phone use and committed viewing sessions, letting users scroll when they have a few spare minutes and transition seamlessly into full titles when they find something compelling. For platforms, this design can boost engagement, surface long-tail content and keep viewers within their ecosystems rather than drifting to social apps for entertainment. The rollout of Clips alongside other mobile enhancements—like autoplay trailers, vertical artwork and redesigned players—signals that streaming interfaces are being rebuilt around feeds, not menus. As more services adopt similar models, the line between social video and streaming discovery will continue to blur.