Netflix introduced the “Skip Intro” button in 2017. The feature was designed to let viewers jump past a television show’s opening sequence with one click, instead of manually dragging the playback bar and risking skipping too far.
Netflix first tested the button in March 2017 and initially limited it to selected series in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. The company’s later account of the feature’s development says it began with about 250 shows and launched first on the web.
The rollout was gradual, which causes some date confusion. Netflix added the feature to television devices in August 2017 and to mobile devices in May 2018. Thus, 2018 refers to a later platform expansion, not the original introduction. The system identifies intros through production review, audio tagging, and machine-learning techniques, allowing the button to appear at the appropriate moment.