Yahoo working on a Smart TV app that will recommend TV… smartly
After a flurry of announcements earlier this week, Yahoo had one last thing to tease us with at the CES show in Vegas: An app for Smart TVs.
Unsurprisingly, as the keyword here is “smart”, the app isn’t based on the Yahoo Answers section of their website, but is in fact based around recommending TV shows. According to Business Insider, the app mashes up data on both programmes you can access normally on your TV through your aerial and with a myriad of online video services.
As you can see in the above photo – some of the recommendations are on normal linear TV right now, whereas other shows are available to stream.
Apparently there is a really top-notch recommendation engine – with the app learning from your viewing habits what sort of shows you like – which could be disastrous if you have a secret RuPaul’s Drag Race habit and don’t want anyone to know.
Perhaps most interestingly this isn’t an app that nobody will use – Yahoo have apparently already inked deals with Samsung and Vizio (who are massive, stateside) to have the app automatically included with their Smart TVs.
Business Insider also speculate that if successful, the app could spell trouble for the likes of Virgin Media and Sky: if viewers can get a seamless experience, with access to a wide range of content from the web, why would they want to pay for the cable company’s more expensive offering? Do you really need all of those extra crappy channels when you have the internet?
