So today, Netflix officially launched a new "thumbs up / thumbs down" rating system, completely replacing its "5 star" rating system. While I have many complaints and questions about this, for the most part, okay. I won't argue.
What I am puzzled about however is what happened to all the hundreds of movies and shows that I've already rated over the years? How did the 5-star rating get converted over to the new 2-thumb rating?
The way I used the 5-star rating system was like so:
- 1 Star = Absolutely hated it, nothing good about it at all.
- 2 Stars = Hated it, but at least they put some effort in.
- 3 Stars = Meh, it was okay but not worth my time.
- 4 Stars = It was great, but could have been better. [Most Common]
- 5 Stars = Loved it, would recommend to others.
Obviously, the above is now impossible to reflect with just a thumb up or down. I'm guessing, or rather hoping, that it may have been done like so:
- 1 Star = Thumb Down
- 2 Stars = Thumb Down
- 3 Stars = No Thumb
- 4 Stars = Thumb Up
- 5 Stars = Thumb Up
How exactly did all my historical ratings get transferred over to this new system, if at all? What algorithm did they use to decide?
Best Answer
I was under the impression that Netflix still tracks your rating on the backend. As far as how it maps back to thumbs up isn't something they have officially disclosed. According to Netflix:
I would think in the next few months they will release more information for developers and alike, but doubtful since these types of algorithms may be considered secret sauce for Netflix only time will tell.