Netflix is testing a button that lets you skip the opening credits on some television shows, the company said. This week some Twitter users spotted a “skip intro” button that appears when you hover over the title sequence for shows including Netflix originals House of Cards and Iron Fist, and Mad Men and The Office (third-party shows). The button works both with shows that begin with the title sequence and those that include one after a cold open.
The first mention of the button we could find is in a Reddit post from 22 days ago. So far, the button has only been spotted on the web. Rolling it out more broadly would require app updates on the many platforms where Netflix is available. “We perform hundreds of tests every year to help make the Netflix member experience better,” a spokeswoman told The Verge.
Netflix finally has a Skip Intro button!! (cc @CaseyNewton) pic.twitter.com/V8NEQvhlW3
— Mehedi Hassan (@mehedih_) March 17, 2017
Skipping the opening credits is a long-standing request of many Netflix users, who are prone to binge-watching shows and would rather not watch the House of Cards smooth jazz time lapse eight times in a single day. And if episodes are auto-playing for you, in many cases the opening sequence will be skipped automatically.
As it so happens, I never skip the credits — there is an art to the title sequence, and even the mediocre ones these days still establish a mood. If you’re watching eight episodes in a row, wouldn’t you happily take that 60 seconds to check your phone while listening to the theme music? I would!
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Anyway, you don’t have to now. The skip intro button is now live.
Thanks Mehedi!
Update, 4:15 p.m: This post has been updated to include comment from Netflix and to reflect the fact that the feature works with shows that include cold opens. The latter fact was pointed out to us by Verge reader Brian F.!
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