Hajra Naz
As YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram continue to dominate mobile video consumption, Netflix is rethinking how its app fits into a social-first viewing world. During its fourth-quarter earnings call on Tuesday, the streaming giant revealed plans to redesign its mobile app and significantly expand its short-form video features as it looks to drive daily engagement.
The company also hinted that the redesign will help promote its growing lineup of original video podcasts, which Netflix announced just last week.
A New Mobile App Built for the Long Term
Netflix’s redesigned mobile app is expected to roll out later in 2026. According to co-CEO Greg Peters, the update is meant to “better serve the expansion of our business over the decade to come.”
Rather than a one-time overhaul, the redesign will act as a flexible foundation for ongoing experimentation. Peters said the company wants the freedom to “iterate, test, evolve, and improve” its mobile experience as user behavior continues to shift.
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Short-Form Video Takes Center Stage
A major focus of the redesign is deeper integration of vertical video feeds—a format Netflix has been quietly testing since May. The feed surfaces short, swipeable clips from Netflix shows and movies in a format familiar to users of TikTok and Instagram Reels.
“You can imagine us bringing more clips based on new content types, like video podcasts,” Peters said during the earnings call. The company sees short-form video as a powerful way to capture attention, improve content discovery, and keep users spending more time inside the app.
A Bigger Bet on Video Podcasts
Netflix is also making a notable push into video podcasts, an area long dominated by YouTube. This week, the company launched its first original video podcasts, including shows hosted by high-profile names such as Pete Davidson and Michael Irvin.
In addition, Netflix has partnered with major podcast distributors to bring established video podcast libraries to its platform, including deals with Spotify and iHeartMedia. Together, these moves suggest Netflix wants to become a meaningful destination for talk-based and personality-driven video content.
Chasing Engagement—Without Becoming a Social App
The app redesign and podcast expansion point to a broader strategy: making content discovery on Netflix feel more dynamic and habit-forming, closer to a social platform experience. Still, executives are careful to frame the effort as experimentation, not imitation.
Speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, CTO Elizabeth Stone emphasized that Netflix isn’t trying to turn into TikTok. Instead, the goal is to strengthen entertainment discovery through mobile-first features that match how people already consume video.
Competing for Attention, Not Just Viewers
During the earnings call, co-CEO Ted Sarandos addressed the changing competitive landscape, noting that streaming services are no longer just competing with each other—but with the entire entertainment ecosystem.
“There’s never been more competition for creators, for consumer attention, for advertising and subscription dollars,” Sarandos said. “The competitive lines around TV consumption are already blurring. TV is not what we grew up on anymore. TV is now just about everything.”
Sarandos pointed to examples such as the Oscars and NFL content appearing on YouTube, Apple competing for major film awards, and Instagram increasingly moving into long-form and premium video.
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A Shifting Film Strategy
Sarandos also touched on Netflix’s evolving approach to theatrical releases, referencing recent changes as the company prepares to acquire Warner Bros. The comments signal growing openness to hybrid distribution models as the boundaries between cinema, streaming, and social video continue to blur.
Strong Financial Momentum
Despite intensifying competition, Netflix’s business remains strong. In 2025, the company reported $45.2 billion in revenue, with advertising revenue climbing to more than $1.5 billion. Netflix also surpassed 325 million paid subscribers in the fourth quarter.
As social platforms continue to reshape how audiences discover and consume video, Netflix is betting that a more social, mobile-first app experience can help it stay central to daily viewing habits.
