Netflix To Introduce Social Features In 2013

Just days after a bill passed through the Senate that removes previous restrictions that prevented companies from sharing customer video rental history, a Netflix spokesperson has confirmed that they "plan to introduce social features" for US customers sometime in 2013. After President Obama signs the bill, Netflix will flip the switch on the new features.

For quite some time now, Netflix has allowed non-US customers to post what shows they're watching on Facebook, the same way they can share music they're listening to or articles they're reading. However, the same can't be said for US users, where it's currently illegal thanks to provisions in the Video Privacy Protection Act.

The new bill, which was first passed by the House of Representatives before being quickly approved by the Senate, amends the Video Privacy Protection Act so customers can opt into sharing their video data using online means rather than requiring written consent. The bill will allow Netflix to integrate with Facebook.

Netflix has pushed for social features since last year, and the company wants its American customers to have the ability to link their Netflix accounts with their Facebook accounts, and share their watched movies with friends through the Netflix Facebook App. And since the US is a big market for Netflix, the new social features will finally hit mainstream for the movie-streaming service.

[via Talking Points Memo]