What's Worth Watching On TV? Ask The Bee
July 21, 2010
Ever flipped through your cable or satellite program guide but couldn't find a show you wanted to watch? New app, beeTV, hopes to change all of that.
NetworkWorld reports that with beeTV, you rate various programs and the app will search your local TV listings to make suggestions of shows you might enjoy. BeeTV has access to the TV listings from all major cable and satellite providers and will only display options available to you, along with your local channel numbers.
In testing, beeTV did work exactly as advertised, but it did have an obvious flaw. It only asks you to rate about 20 different programs, only one of which I thought worthy of the full five stars. My suggestions, which you can see at the top of the post, list 5 shows which I have never watched. It's possible that beeTV is correct, and I have just made poor viewing choices in the past. If this is true, this app works very well. More than likely, the app is not collecting enough information in the initial survey to make meaningful suggestions. For those who don't want to sign up for yet another account, you can use your Facebook credentials to sign up.
All is not lost however, as you can easily rate the suggestions it gives you, and beeTV will adjust accordingly. I rated a few more shows and my listings changed, but it was obvious I was still not seeing exactly the kind of shows I watch. The good thing is that beeTV is a private beta, open only to those who download and try out the iPhone app. As more people try the app and rate shows, the recommendation system should improve greatly.
If you're an avid TV watcher, why not give beeTV a try? It's available for free, in the App Store.