I think this was referring only to physical DVDs. That's where the recommendation system is most prominent due to the high opportunity cost in the movie-by-mai

I think this was referring only to physical DVDs. That's where the recommendation system is most prominent due to the high opportunity cost in the movie-by-mail system. The Netflix Prize, awarded just two years ago, is so irrelevant to Netflix today that they'll probably sell the license to the winning algorithm along with Qwikster.