Netflix has a secret Preview Club and there’s only one way to join

You may have heard of the Netflix Preview Club. It is a highly exclusive perk for some subscribers, and there’s only one way to join (pre-warning, it may never happen for you).

There are so many streaming services available in 2025, but one platform still stands above the rest: Netflix.

As of January this year, it has a whopping 282.7 million subscribers worldwide. In second place, you have Prime with 200m (and it kind of cheats, given most people are signed up for Amazon Prime anyway), and then you have Disney Plus (122.7m). If you combined Hulu, Paramount+, and Peacock’s subscribers, it still wouldn’t be enough to beat Netflix.

So, what if I told you that some subscribers get to watch new Netflix movies and TV shows before they come out? You’d probably say, “How can I watch stuff early?” Well, the answer is the Netflix Preview Club – but it’s not for everyone.

What is the Netflix Preview Club?

Netflix

If you’re part of the Netflix Preview Club, you get to watch new movies and TV shows before their official release. It’s effectively the streaming platform’s way of doing test screenings.

As Netflix explains, “members watch early versions of TV shows and movies before they’re released to tell us what they think. Our creators may use that feedback when editing the final version to make it more enjoyable for everyone.”

While “completeness of a TV show or movie will vary from screening to screening”, you may need to deal with unfinished VFX and missing sound effects. However ,Preview Club feedback could drastically affect the finished product.

“Past member feedback has inspired creators to swap scenes, edit visuals, and even re-shoot entire sequences. Many TV shows and movies screened through Netflix Preview Club end up in our Top 10 rows, so your feedback has a real impact on creating content the world loves,” Netflix explains.

“We can’t guarantee that we’ll change the TV show or movie before we release it, but all feedback is seriously considered before final creative decisions are made.”

Can I join the Netflix Preview Club?

Pixabay/Adult Swim

The Netflix Preview Club is invite-only, you can only join if Netflix asks you.

Here’s the bottom line: it’s invite-only, and you can’t request to join (if anything, that’ll probably make you less likely to receive an invitation down the line).

Those who are offered the opportunity (which is “based on things like their viewing behavior and how long they’ve been a Netflix member”) don’t need to pay anything for the privilege. However, they will need to spend time watching something they may not enjoy and fill out a 20-minute survey once it’s done.

There’s also a possibility that members could be invited to a focus group to discuss whatever TV show or movie they watched (although this is optional).

In the meantime, keep tabs on the big Netflix releases this year with our guides on Stranger Things Season 5, Wednesday Season 2, and Squid Game Season 3.