Google’s Movies & TV app can now search dozens of streaming services
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In case you haven’t noticed there are a lot of streaming video services available. Whether free with a cable subscription or paid, there are an ever-growing list of options for watching your favorite show or movie. Google is making an attempt at dealing with the clutter today through an update to its Play Movies & TV app for Android. Now, when searching for a show or film, Google Play will show all the different places it is available, whether you’re signed up for those services or not.
Google says it has support for "more than two dozens" of the major streaming players, including powerhouses like Hulu, HBO and Amazon as well as many network-specific options like ABC, CBS, Fox Now, Disney Now, Showtime and more. Unfortunately, Netflix isn’t available at launch, but Google says it is keen to add more partners over time. Searching for a movie or show will bring you to a page in Google Play that displays all the places you can stream it, in addition to showing whether it’s available for direct purchase through the store as well.
It’s similar to what Apple did with the creatively-titled "TV" app it released a few years ago — Apple’s app pulls together everything you’re watching and lets you search across multiple services. Google and Android users should hopefully find that the revamped Play Movies & TV app streamlines their media watching habits, as well. And those who are used to using the web version of Google’s store should know that the same feature will be available there.
Google has a few other new features in the Play Movies & TV app, as well. There’s a watchlist area where you can collect shows and movies; it’ll show you price changes, if the content becomes available to stream, and when it becomes available to buy or rent in the Play store. The app also features simple "thumbs-up" and "thumbs-down" ratings to help it learn what kind of content you prefer. Finally, the store has some new filters to make it easier to find something to watch. Right at the top of the screen are options to filter by genre, release date, and options like "highly rated" or "award-winning." Google says all these updates will be rolling out for Android phones and tablets in the US over the next few days.
Correction: This post originally stated that Netflix was supported in the new Play Movies & TV app; it isn’t supported at launch. We apologize for the error.
Tech
via Engadget http://www.engadget.com
March 27, 2018 at 12:09PM