As people are spending more time at home, many are looking online for inspiration for new shows or films to watch. In fact, searches for “what to watch” and “best movies” in India have grown significantly since late March. But with so many great films and TV shows out there, picking the right one can be tough.
Starting today and over the coming week, Google will be rolling out a new experience in Google Search — when people search for things like “good shows to watch” or “what to watch”, they will see an organized set of suggestions from several streaming providers including Disney+ Hotstar, SonyLiv, Voot, Google Play Movies & TV, and YouTube. This experience will be available in Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, Kannada and English, with additional languages and streaming providers to follow.
When a user taps the “Edit Providers” button, they can choose which TV and movie subscription(s) they already have. This will not only get them personalized recommendations, but they will also quickly see where to rent, buy, or watch their picks for free with their subscriptions.
In addition to finding recommendations in Search, with the ‘Watchlist’ feature, saving shows for later has never been easier. After searching “what to watch,” simply tap ‘Watchlist’ in the preview window for any show or film to add it to the viewing list. Users can navigate between their recommendations and the ‘Watchlist’ tab so they won’t lose track of what’s already been saved.
What a person wants to watch will likely change depending on their mood: they might feel like a drama or documentary one night, and the next day find themselves wanting something lighter. Even when hankering for something specific, like “bollywood movies in 2019” or “adventure documentaries about climbing,” Search will deliver options.
This is just the first version of this experience — more interesting categories and further updates will be added in the coming months.
Hopefully this helps users plan their next night’s viewing: it just might be the right place to find their next favourite!
