Aiming to allow viewers to add their favourite TV shows and films from different streaming services into one central location on its SmartCast TVs and also gain enhanced recommendations based on viewing interests and history, smart TV provider Vizio has introduced My Watchlist.
With My Watchlist, Vizio believes that is has solved one of the biggest challenges viewers have with today’s fragmented streaming environment—keeping up with what programme is available on which service. With the new feature, users can build a queue of TV shows and movies across premium services including Apple TV+, discovery+, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Paramount+, Prime Video, Starz, WatchFree+ and others.
Adding shows and movies to My Watchlist can be carried out by searching for a title, actor or selecting the + Watchlist button on the content detail page of each title. Once added, a dedicated My Watchlist row will appear on the SmartCast home screen. When ready to begin viewing, the user selects the preferred title and is immediately launched into the service.
In addition to My Watchlist, Vizio is serving recommendations now based on the applications and genres the user engages with most. Vizio users will see recommended titles for the streaming services accessed most – helping audiences get the most out of their premium subscriptions. For example, if a user views Apple TV+ frequently, they may see an Apple TV+ row and a list of show and movies recommendations for that service.
Also new to the SmartCast home screen is an additional recommendation type, featuring a row dedicated to the genres of content that users like most. For example, if crime is the user’s favourite genre to watch, the user will see a row titled true crime with a list of similar titles.
“The user is at the centre of everything we do at Vizio, and we recognise that our users want the ability to easily find the content that matters most to them,” explained Steve Yum, vice president of product management at Vizio. “My Watchlist gives our users the ability to customise their SmartCast experience to their tastes and make it easier to do what they come to Vizio to do: stream their favourite movies and shows.”
Adding shows and movies to My Watchlist can be carried out by searching for a title, actor or selecting the + Watchlist button on the content detail page of each title. Once added, a dedicated My Watchlist row will appear on the SmartCast home screen. When ready to begin viewing, the user selects the preferred title and is immediately launched into the service.
In addition to My Watchlist, Vizio is serving recommendations now based on the applications and genres the user engages with most. Vizio users will see recommended titles for the streaming services accessed most – helping audiences get the most out of their premium subscriptions. For example, if a user views Apple TV+ frequently, they may see an Apple TV+ row and a list of show and movies recommendations for that service.
Also new to the SmartCast home screen is an additional recommendation type, featuring a row dedicated to the genres of content that users like most. For example, if crime is the user’s favourite genre to watch, the user will see a row titled true crime with a list of similar titles.
“The user is at the centre of everything we do at Vizio, and we recognise that our users want the ability to easily find the content that matters most to them,” explained Steve Yum, vice president of product management at Vizio. “My Watchlist gives our users the ability to customise their SmartCast experience to their tastes and make it easier to do what they come to Vizio to do: stream their favourite movies and shows.”
