Back in the day, before the dawn of the Internet, when we were all glued to our television sets, the humble TV guide was the go-to source for all our entertainment needs. Flipping through its pages revealed a treasure trove of listings and recommendations, allowing us to plan our viewing schedules accordingly.
But with the proliferation of streaming sites, who shall we turn to for guidance amidst this abundance of riches? Worry not cord-cutters; Yahoo has got you covered with its new Video Guide app.
Available now for iOS and Android, the Yahoo Video Guide app allows users to search across streaming sites to locate favorite shows or movies. Once you’ve made your choice, the Yahoo Video Guide will redirect you to the applicable streaming site’s app on your device. Alongside the big players (including Netflix, HBO, Amazon, and Hulu) the service also provides listings for other sites such as YouTube, and plenty of TV networks.
Yahoo’s new app also wants to help you decide what to watch. In this regard, it offers a recommendation feature — in the vein of most streaming sites — which operates based on your mood. Visually speaking, Yahoo’s “Mood Picker” is made up of GIFs that point to different genres. If you select the GIF of two people kissing, for example, romantic titles will be displayed, reports TechCrunch.
The app’s setup process identifies which streaming services you are already subscribed to, meaning you will be provided with recommendations for sites you have access to. If you don’t have access to a title, the cost to rent or purchase will also be displayed. Other useful features include Rotten Tomatoes ratings, a short blurb for each title, year of release, and cast and filmmaker details.
According to Yahoo, the app marks an “exciting step … towards a day when we all watch TV and movies exclusively from our mobile phones, iPads and connected TVs.”
