Netflix is moving away from online reviews.
The streaming video giant told CNET this week that it will remove all of its online reviews by mid-August. Additionally, the company confirmed that Netflix users who want to share their opinions on a show or movie will only be allowed to do so until July 30. After that, the feature will be turned off.
Reviews have been part of the Netflix experience for years, allowing users to share their thoughts on a show or movie and see what others think about content before diving in. Netflix had once allowed users to rate movies on a one-to-five-star rating scale but last year changed it to a thumbs up or thumbs down. The company has also only allowed reviews on its browser version and not in the many apps it offers on mobile and other devices.
While Netflix reviews are aimed at helping viewers learn more about content, they’ve largely proven useless. The vast majority of Netflix users don’t employ the review system and in most cases, users don’t see it, anyway. The move, in other words, is unlikely to affect the average Netflix user.
Still, Netflix isn’t entirely turning its back on ratings. The company will keep the thumbs-up-thumbs-down system after the reviews feature is removed.