A Netflix user will browse the app for 90 seconds and leave if they find nothing.

Thumbnail artwork is actually NFLX& #39;s most effective lever to influence a viewer& #39;s choice. A user will look at one for only 1.8 seconds, so NFLX spends huge to optimize them.

Here& #39;s a breakdownhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧵" title="collectie" aria-label="Emoji: collectie">
1/ Spoiler alert: humans are visual animals.

Our eyes move 3-4x per second to process information and we can analyze an image in as little as 13 milliseconds.
2/ In 2014, Netflix consumer research showed that thumbnail artwork:

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> is "the biggest influencer...to watch content"
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> is the focus of 82% of browsing time

A user looks at one for only 1.8 seconds. If they can& #39;t find Netflix content in 90 seconds, they& #39;ll leave the app.
2/ In 2014, Netflix consumer research showed that thumbnail artwork:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable= is "the biggest influencer...to watch content"https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> is the focus of 82% of browsing time A user looks at one for only 1.8 seconds. If they can& #39;t find Netflix content in 90 seconds, they& #39;ll leave the app." title="2/ In 2014, Netflix consumer research showed that thumbnail artwork:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> is "the biggest influencer...to watch content"https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> is the focus of 82% of browsing time A user looks at one for only 1.8 seconds. If they can& #39;t find Netflix content in 90 seconds, they& #39;ll leave the app." class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
3/ Consequently, Netflix uses an elaborate thumbnail selection process for each of its 200m+ users.

The process is called aestethic visual analysis (AVA), which starts by pulling all the frames from a video.

For reference: a 1hr episode of "Stranger Things" has 86k frames.
4/ In a process known as "Frame Annotation", each frame is tagged with metadata identifying key variables:

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Saliency
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Frame #
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Brightness / Contrast
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Nudity probability
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Face / skin tone
4/ In a process known as "Frame Annotation", each frame is tagged with metadata identifying key variables:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable= Saliencyhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Frame #https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Brightness / Contrasthttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Nudity probabilityhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Face / skin tone" title="4/ In a process known as "Frame Annotation", each frame is tagged with metadata identifying key variables:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Saliencyhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Frame #https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Brightness / Contrasthttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Nudity probabilityhttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Face / skin tone" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
5/ The frames are then graded on these variables.

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Visual (brightness, contrast, color, motion blur)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Contextual (face detection / shot angle)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Composition (photography principles like "rule of thirds", symmetry, depth of field)
5/ The frames are then graded on these variables.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable= Visual (brightness, contrast, color, motion blur)https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Contextual (face detection / shot angle)https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Composition (photography principles like "rule of thirds", symmetry, depth of field)" title="5/ The frames are then graded on these variables.https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Visual (brightness, contrast, color, motion blur)https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Contextual (face detection / shot angle)https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Composition (photography principles like "rule of thirds", symmetry, depth of field)" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
6/ The next step is "Image Ranking", which chooses the best thumbnails (most likely to be clicked).

Winning traits include:
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Expressive faces
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Main characters
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Brightness

For "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", Netflix research showed the bottom right frame as the "winner".
6/ The next step is "Image Ranking", which chooses the best thumbnails (most likely to be clicked).Winning traits include:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable= Expressive faceshttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Main charactershttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Brightness For "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", Netflix research showed the bottom right frame as the "winner"." title="6/ The next step is "Image Ranking", which chooses the best thumbnails (most likely to be clicked).Winning traits include:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Expressive faceshttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Main charactershttps://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Brightness For "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt", Netflix research showed the bottom right frame as the "winner"." class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
7/ Another winning trait is good localization.

The best thumbnails (green arrow) for each country for the show "Sense8" had attributes most attractive to that specific region.
8/ Also: thumbnails with villainous characters outperform.

Netflix says these bad guy thumbnails (green arrow) for "Dragons: Race to the Edge" are the most clicked.
9/ One last finding: Netflix discovered that thumbnails with more than 3 people vastly underperform.

Netflix applied this knowledge for the rollout of "Orange Is The New Black". Season 2 has only one character in the thumbnail (vs. an ensemble for Season 1)
10/ One reason Netflix started creating its own thumbnails is that the artwork provided by studios weren& #39;t optimized for the streaming app.

The creative work Netflix received was meant for other mediums like billboards or DVD covers.
11/ At the most basic level, Netflix applies ML to select a thumbnail for you based on recent watch history.

Take "Good Will Hunting" as an example:
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Rom-com watchers get the top thumbnail ("a date")
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Comedy fans get the bottom thumbnail (with Robin Williams)
11/ At the most basic level, Netflix applies ML to select a thumbnail for you based on recent watch history.Take "Good Will Hunting" as an example:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable= Rom-com watchers get the top thumbnail ("a date")https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Comedy fans get the bottom thumbnail (with Robin Williams)" title="11/ At the most basic level, Netflix applies ML to select a thumbnail for you based on recent watch history.Take "Good Will Hunting" as an example:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Rom-com watchers get the top thumbnail ("a date")https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Comedy fans get the bottom thumbnail (with Robin Williams)" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
11/ Here are different Netflix thumbnail selections for "Pulp Fiction":

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> Uma Thurman fans get the top thumbnail
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant"> John Travolta fans get the bottom thumbnail
12/ Unsurprisingly, Netflix also A/B tests the thumbnails it shows users. The artwork is constantly changing.

Here is a sample of thumbnails for the film "The Short Game" and how each performed:
13/ As with any ML algorithm, results can be curious. In 2018, Netflix was accused of creating artwork based on race.

For a majority caucasian film "Like Father", one Black user was served the right image. Netflix said it makes artwork only on viewing history (not demographics).
14/ A less harmless example of thumbnail optimization is showcasing trending actors / actresses for content they played a smaller role in: https://twitter.com/ballmatthew/status/1336078818994507779?lang=en">https://twitter.com/ballmatth...
15/ Back to the Squid Game thumbnails from the 1st tweet. They don& #39;t really follow any of the artwork "rules".

Then again, those are only 3 that I saw out of 1000s of other options.

And Squid Game is about to be NFLX& #39;s most popular original series ever, so something& #39;s working.
16/ If you enjoyed that, I write threads breaking down tech and business 1-2x a week.

Def follow @TrungTPhan to catch them in your feed.

Here& #39;s a one that might tickle your fancy: https://twitter.com/TrungTPhan/status/1429464889307762688?s=20">https://twitter.com/TrungTPha...
17/ Sources

Vox: https://www.vox.com/2018/11/21/18106394/why-your-netflix-thumbnail-coverart-changes

Thumbnail">https://www.vox.com/2018/11/2... controversy: https://www.nme.com/news/netflix-accused-of-deceiving-black-users-with-manipulative-personalised-artwork-2392085

Netflix">https://www.nme.com/news/netf... internal docs are a must read

1: https://about.netflix.com/en/news/the-power-of-a-picture
2:">https://about.netflix.com/en/news/t... https://netflixtechblog.com/selecting-the-best-artwork-for-videos-through-a-b-testing-f6155c4595f6">https://netflixtechblog.com/selecting...
18/ I also discuss interesting topics like this once a week (with a healthy dose of dumb jokes) on the Not Investment Advice (NIA) podcast.

Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/notinvestmentadvice/?sub_confirmation=1">https://www.youtube.com/notinvest...
19/ Last image: Here& #39;s what Netflix& #39;s home screen looks like with ZERO thumbnail artwork.
20/ One more factoid: Netflix’s revenue per employee is an insane $2.6m.

More than:

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant">Apple ($2m)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant">Alphabet ($1.4m)
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant">Microsoft ($877k)

(Apple obvi crushes profits and FCF, though)
20/ One more factoid: Netflix’s revenue per employee is an insane $2.6m.More than:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable=Apple ($2m) https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant">Alphabet ($1.4m)https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant">Microsoft ($877k)(Apple obvi crushes profits and FCF, though)" title="20/ One more factoid: Netflix’s revenue per employee is an insane $2.6m.More than:https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant">Apple ($2m) https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant">Alphabet ($1.4m)https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="◻️" title="Middelgroot wit vierkant" aria-label="Emoji: Middelgroot wit vierkant">Microsoft ($877k)(Apple obvi crushes profits and FCF, though)" class="img-responsive" style="max-width:100%;"/>
21/ @netflix is def one company where this meme doesn’t apply: https://twitter.com/TrungTPhan/status/1343202533649612807">https://twitter.com/TrungTPha...
22/ There it is! https://twitter.com/christine_tsai/status/1459956041056014336">https://twitter.com/christine...
You can follow @TrungTPhan.
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