A Classic PM Tradeoff: Transparency vs Watch Time

Netflix removed user reviews to boost watch time. As a PM, would you do the same? Learn the tradeoffs and decide what you woud ship in this dilemma.

Sid Arora

Jul 04, 2025

Hey hey,

Let's say you logged into Netflix on a random Tuesday night.

You were tired and just wanted to watch something good.

And there it is: a brand-new Netflix Original, trending at #2 in India.

But just below the title, the reviews were brutal.

You close the app. Maybe YouTube instead?

Now, imagine you are the PM behind that Netflix Original. Your job is to make people watch more. But every review is telling them not to.

What do you do now?

Let’s hit the Decision Desk.

The Problem

User reviews were supposed to help people make better decisions.

But on Netflix, they were backfiring. Here’s what the data said:

People spent less time browsing when reviews were visible
Netflix Originals that Netflix owns were getting crushed in ratings
Content creators threatened to pull their shows because of harsh public feedback
And support tickets about review bombing spiked 3x in just a few months

Now, you are stuck.

On one side, your users say reviews help them avoid wasting time. On the other side, your metrics show that people are watching less content due to reviews.

That's not the worst part.

The content that pays the bills (your Originals) is getting hit the hardest.

Do you keep the review system alive in the name of transparency?
Or do you quietly kill it to protect engagement and creators?

Tough call. Let’s make it.

Your Options

1. SHIP

Remove all user reviews

Kill the review system completely. No comments, no ratings, nothing. Let the algorithm drive discovery, not public opinion.

Upside: Watch time boosts, creators stay happy, and the UI stays clean.
Risk: Users lose a sense of transparency and trust.

2. SKIP

Keep reviews, hide the ratings

Let users share thoughts, but remove star ratings to reduce snap judgments.

It’s still social, but softer.

Upside: Saves the community feel without harsh public scores.
Risk: Written reviews can still skew perception and trigger bias.

3. WAITLIST

Verified reviews only

Only allow reviews from people who have watched at least 70% of a title.

Make feedback earned, not spam.

Upside: Filters out trolls and makes reviews more credible.
Risk: Review volume drops, and the system feels slower, less lively.

You Decide

Think through:

What would you tell users when they ask, "where did my reviews go?"

JAPM's Take

We would ship. Option A – remove everything. Because Netflix isn't Yelp.

People don't come to Netflix to read reviews but to watch stuff.

User reviews were solving a problem (helping people pick content) but creating a bigger problem (making people watch less content).

When your core metric is watch time, and reviews hurt watch time, the math is easy. Netflix's algorithm is super good at recommendations. Trust it.

Then, we would tell users that we were focusing on showing the content you would love, not something that other people loved.

And this is exactly what Netflix did in 2018. They removed user reviews and ratings. Did you even notice? Probably not. That's the point.

Sometimes, being a PM means making the unpopular call.

Reviews feel like a user-friendly feature.

But when the data says they are quietly killing engagement and scaring off your content partners, it’s your job to protect the core loop, not the comment section.

The lesson here is:
If a feature solves one problem but quietly creates a bigger one, it’s time to let it go.

What option did you pick and why?