Plex adds new social features before lifetime price hike

Plex has come a long way from being just a personal media server. Over the past few years, it has transformed into a live streaming hub, where it is presented today Ad-supported content and Movie rental options.

Now, the company is setting its sights on competing with social networking platforms like Reddit and Letterboxd: On Wednesday, Plex unveiled several social features aimed at changing how users interact with the platform.

One of the most notable of these is Discussions, a community forum where users can post comments and talk about movies or TV shows. Plex is likely hoping that this forum will create a dedicated space that challenges Reddit’s dominance when it comes to community discussions about movies and shows.

The company said it has developed a moderation system that uses a combination of artificial intelligence and human input to manage visual and written content.

Another new feature is Lists, which allows users to create, manage, and share lists of their favorite movies and shows, interact with emojis instead of simple star ratings, and share photos. Later this year, Plex will add the ability to import existing lists from other platforms, and allow users to interact and comment on their friends’ lists. Letterboxd and IMDb both offer user-created lists.

Additionally, Plex is adding a new Match Score feature that predicts how much a user will enjoy a particular title based on their viewing habits and preferences.

“It looks at the things you watch and the way you rate them, and turns that into a simple percentage that tells you how well a title aligns with what you tend to enjoy,” Scott Olechowski, co-founder and chief product officer, told TechCrunch. “The idea is to take the guesswork out of discovery, so instead of scrolling endlessly, you can get a quick, personalized read on whether something is likely to be right for you.”

The platform also adds alerts to notify users of new activity related to the listings, movies, shows, and film professionals they follow.

The lists are currently available to all Plex users, with discussions scheduled to launch this month. Other features will be rolled out throughout the year.

The new features aim to create a community-based content discovery experience, allowing users to share recommendations, compare opinions and connect across their favorite shows and movies.

“People are spending more time knowing what to watch than ever before, and we’re seeing viewers increasingly turning to friends, creators and communities they trust for recommendations. Discovery has become a shared experience, and we believe the products people use to find entertainment should reflect that,” Olichowski added.

The new features come as Plex grapples with an increasingly competitive entertainment landscape as streaming companies and social media platforms compete with each other for people’s attention. Netflix and Disney+ They’ve even launched short-form video content within their apps in an effort to boost daily engagement.

This isn’t Plex’s first foray into social networking. In 2023 the company Fired Discover Together, which allowed users to create profiles and follow friends’ viewing activities. Last year, Plex was introduced Public profiles and reviews For users.

However, it is important to note that this update also coincides with an important event High prices For Plex’s Lifetime Plex Pass, which will cost $749.99 starting July 1. The amazing increase certainly caught the attention of users, especially since just last year Plex increased the price of the Pass from $119.99 to $249.99.

Plex currently has over 42 million monthly active users in over 180 countries and territories.