Netflix has done something unexpected, opening up a hole for people without an account on the platform to sneak peek on some of its most favorite originals. That would include the Stranger Things series, the film “Murder Mystery”, the “Boss Baby” series, the “Bird Box” thriller, “The Two Popes” movie, the “Our Planet” documentary series, and more.
Netflix promised to update its “Watch Free” section periodically, so this selection is just the beginning. Whatever is featured, it’s accessible without limitations - so this is more than just a sneak peek, to be honest.
People can just click on the “Watch Now” button and begin watching the show right on the browser and through Netflix’s embedded video player. Subtitles and audio in different languages remain accessible as options.
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The only thing that is locked is the streaming quality, which is set to “standard” - without any way to raise it to Full HD or 4K, of course. But that is completely understandable, considering Netflix asks nothing in return.
There’s even no requirement to create an account on the streaming platform to access the free content.
So, why is Netflix doing the whole “watch free” thing? Well, most importantly, it’s a great way to entice new subscribers. The selection is limited, so if one enjoys what’s there, they will most surely subscribe to the service. The content featured in the small collection of available stuff to watch may stay there for a short time, leaving “hooked” people in the middle of a series. And then, locking the quality setting to standard would also work as an encouraging factor to subscribe to Netflix and enjoy that cool film or series properly.
As Netflix stated to Gadgets360: “We’re looking at different marketing promotions to attract new members and give them a great Netflix experience.” Using “originals” for this purpose makes perfect sense, as Netflix wouldn’t have to cover additional licensing expenses for this new promotional project.
The relevant “Help Center” page clarifies that all browsers on Windows, Mac, and Android platforms work, but iOS and smart TV browsers aren’t supported. We’ve checked on the latest iPadOS version using Safari, and it worked like a charm, but iOS didn’t work, neither on Safari nor in Chrome.