Subscription-free streaming platform Plex — which features more than 600 channels, movies and TV shows — has redesigned its user interface to emphasize discovery and personalization. The new look is available in preview on mobile, with a public rollout planned in the weeks to come. “For personal media pros, we’ve centralized media libraries into a dedicated tab,” explains Plex, noting it’s added an option to save favorite libraries and quickly access power-user features. The Watchlist now has a dedicated spot in the navigation bar. Customers are using Plex to “find any title, anytime,” then linking it across services or adding it to the Watchlist.

Over the years, Plex “has tried to balance its history as a software maker focused on home media organization with its future as a streaming service, where it generates revenue through ad-supported content,” TechCrunch writes.

The service has about 16 million users worldwide. In early 2024 the company launched a $40 million fundraise with an aim toward profitability by early 2025, something the redesign — two years in the making — is intended to help.

Now, “users can move between their media library, Live TV channels (ad-supported streams), On Demand streams, and more,” TechCrunch explains, noting the previous interface has been ditched for “tabbed navigation with buttons at the bottom of the screen, which tends to work better on mobile” and single-handed manipulation.

The “visual skin now falls in line with the recently updated companion apps Plex Photos, Plex Dash, and Plexamp,” writes Android Police, pointing out that a tablet layout is on the way.

“Starting life as a humble personal media streamer, Plex has taken big strides in to the streaming game, attempting to firmly establish itself as one of the best free streaming services out there,” is the verdict from TechRadar.

Buttons have been added for Discovery and there is increased emphasis on artwork, Plex details in a blog post that indicates the personalized home page “will point you to content you may want to continue watching.”

Engadget reports Plex hopes to gather user-feedback during the preview phase “to help make sure everything works as smoothly as intended across a wide range of devices and setups.” The preview is widely available via Android but has limited iOS slots.

“Some features are missing (such as casting and offline support) for the time being, but it will update the apps frequently to add more,” Engadget reports. “Early access to the revamped TV experience” will be available “very soon,” followed by the general rollout early next year.