Netflix is undeniably the king of streaming video services. Part of why Netflix remains on top of the streaming game is the fact that it is constantly trying new things to try and make streaming easier and more convenient for subscribers. Now, Netflix is rolling out a new option that can save viewers time, whether they're watching a single episode or working through a binge-watch. Subscribers have the option to skip the opening credits of TV episodes.
Interestingly, Netflx has been pretty quiet about this latest development. Subscribers only began to notice the feature when the "skip intro" option popped up on their computer screens. It doesn't seem to be part of a special offer or require subscribers to go to any effort. The feature just...appeared at one point as a new way to save time while streaming TV on Netflix.
The only real chatter about the "skip intro" option has taken place online on social media outlets, such as Reddit and Twitter. Netflix has been mostly silent on the matter, which is somewhat surprising. The option to skip ahead in an episode without needing to fuss with the progress bar or the arrow keys will undoubtedly be a big convenience to many subscribers. I didn't even know about it until I started a binge-watch of Stranger Things not so long ago.
Upon further investigation, I discovered that the "skip intro" window doesn't pop up before the credits for every single show. Stranger Things, The Walking Dead, and Iron Fist all let me skip ahead with the quick click of a button, but It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and The X-Files didn't give me the same choice. It's possible that Netflix is simply quietly trying out the feature with a few select shows. The buzz around series like Stranger Things and The Walking Dead definitely guarantee that plenty of people will be checking them out, so Netflix would likely get a much larger sample size than they'd get with Always Sunny or The X-Files.
All things considered, I'd say that the new option to skip the opening credits is convenient and a nice move by Netflix, but I'm not sure that it will save me a whole lot of time when watching. After all, most credit sequences run from 15 seconds to a minute in length. The shorter ones might not be worth the even minimal effort of clicking "skip intro," and the longer ones might be pretty interesting. I actually watched the Stranger Things credits every time. Hopefully Netflix releases details to shed more light on the new feature.
Check out Netflix for yourself to see what shows do and do not offer the "skip intro" option. If you're not sure what to watch, take a look at our 2017 Netflix premiere schedule. For shows that air on broadcast, see our midseason TV premiere schedule and our summer TV premiere schedule.
