The new app was announced earlier this week. Yahoo claims it will take you “from searching to streaming in seconds.” You can search across all your subscribed services to find where your favourite shows are available. Once you’ve got something to watch, the app will instantly take you to the applicable app on your phone at the tap of a button.
The “Mood Picker” feature helps you to pick something to match your current mood, ranging from a “romantic thriller” to “dark comedy.” The app makes recommendations based on your selection of a series of animated GIFs representing different moods.
Content providers including Netflix, Amazon, Hulu and HBO are supported from launch. The apps must already be installed to be accessible from Yahoo Video Guide. Yahoo does not stream the content itself; instead, the app is more like a map that tells you where things are and helps you to get to them.
Robby Stein, Yahoo’s senior director of product management, said: “As your favourite movies and TV shows continue to migrate from the cable box and into a variety of streaming services, it’s becoming increasingly painful to actually find and watch them. That’s why we built Yahoo Video Guide – it’s our first step in bringing you an easier, faster way to find and stream your favorite movies and TV shows in the cord-cutting edge.”
The launch of Yahoo Video Guide comes just a week after the company completely relaunched its Messenger service. The rebuilt platform is now available on smartphones and gives users the ability to instantly share media from online sources without waiting for content to upload. Conversation members can also “unsend” any message to permanently remove it from the chat.
Earlier this week, Yahoo announced it will be spinning off its “core Internet business” into a publicly traded company. The move comes after years of flat-lining revenue and steadily declining user numbers. The firm intends to retain its stake in Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.
Yahoo Video Guide is available now for free in the App Store and Google Play. It’s currently U.S.-exclusive and Yahoo hasn’t said whether it intends to bring the app to additional markets in the future.
