Case Study

(Venti Views, 2021)

Title: How Netflix Ensured the Successful Launch of Ads on Netflix

A case study is a way to carry out a research. It is often used in the areas of social and life sciences. In simple terms, a case study is when you look really closely at a person, a group of people, or something specific, to learn things that you can apply to others in similar situations (Heale & Twycross, 2017). 

 

Netflix Technology Blog (2023) had post an article which says that in November 2022, Netflix came up with a new service level called Basic with ads. They wanted this rollout to be smooth, so they created a way to simulate expected user traffic in advance of the launch. The idea was to spot and solve potential issues related to the high number of users and to test their ad algorithms. They were careful to ensure that this testing did not affect their users; customers did not see any ads as a result of this process. To simulate user behaviour, they used viewing habits data. The company also created a separate environment only for testing, so it would not impact their live services. 

They began their tests with a small percentage of traffic and gradually increased it. They kept a close eye on performance metrics and worked with teams from across Netflix, including customer support. They also made sure their systems could handle sudden spikes in traffic caused by shifting user load between data centers. They used regularly scheduled regional evacuation exercises to do this. In the end, they had a 24/7 replay traffic system that helped them fine-tune their services and gain confidence for the launch, reducing stress for the team. This process not only helped to ensure a successful launch of the Basic with ads tier but also yielded valuable insights for future projects.

 

For the future, Netflix sees many uses for this replay traffic system. It has proven to be a valuable tool for developing and preparing for new launches. The Resilience team at Netflix is now working on making this simulation strategy easily available for all their development teams by integrating it into their CHAP experimentation platform. They will continue to provide updates on this work.

Reference(s):

 

Venti Views (2021) Netflix sign on a building at sunset Available at: White and black concrete building during night time photo – Free Los angeles Image on Unsplash (Accessed in: 03/06/2023)

 

Heale, R & Twycross, A (2017) BMJ Journals Available at: What is a case study? | Evidence-Based Nursing (bmj.com) (Accessed in: 03/06/2023)

Netflix Technology Blog (2023) Netflix Techblog Available at: Two boxes of amazon are stacked on top of each other photo – Free Render Image on Unsplash (Accessed in 03/06/2023)