Clicker.com launches a TV Guide for the Internet; the umpteenth Hulu-killer for late-2009
Taylor
Thu Nov 12, 2009 8:23pm EST
* Clicker.com aims to be TV Guide of Internet age
* Analysts say approach is new, but competition will come (Adds
TVGuide.com also provides Web information, paragraph 4)
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 12 (Reuters) - Clicker.com launched a TV Guide for
Internet television on Thursday, designed to provide a new way to find
everything from old Seinfeld episodes to cooking shows.
"What is TV Guide for the next generation going to look like?" asked
Chief Executive Jim Lanzone. His aim is for a comprehensive Internet
guide that makes it easy to find programs, save them, click to them
and get reminders.
Of course, the real TV Guide -- once a highly popular printed listing
of television programs sold at grocery stores across the country --
still exists as a website of its own. And there are lots of other
choices for consumers.
In addition, that website, TVGuide.com, also provides a search engine
and listings of television available on the Web.
YouTube has videos, Hulu offers network TV programming and other
material, BuddyTV offers listings and TV news, Channels.com advertises
"no more hunting for videos." And there are video search engines like
Truveo and BlinX.
"There are sites where you can watch programs, and there are a range
of sites that touch all the different pieces, but I am unaware of
anyone who does all of these things," said Greg Sterling, of Sterling
Market Intelligence. He said that Clicker seems to be a candidate.
The company has $8 million in backing led by two venture capital
firms, Benchmark Capital and Redpoint Ventures.
Lanzone sees video moving away from ordinary television and more and
more to the Web in coming years, making a service like Clicker.com
ever more of a necessity.
The Clicker.com database allows consumers to chose programs in many
ways, as well as enabling a form of social networking -- a necessity
in the latest Web companies.
Allen Weiner, an analyst with Gartner, said Clicker.com wants to be
"the interface between the consumer and video channels" and that it
"takes a much more holistic view" than others.
But he said if Clicker.com is successful it can expect competition
from major high tech firms like Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) and Apple Inc
(AAPL.O) and possibly from TV makers. And he believes the task
Clicker.com faces is tough.
"This is a market that has to prove itself. It is not easy to be
comprehensive, and it's not easy to update material."
(Reporting by David Lawsky; Editing Bernard Orr)
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Clicker Hands-On: Web Potatoes, You Need This
Jeff Bertolucci, PC World, NLSN TLVSN (tinyurl.com/nlsntlvsn)
Nov 12, 2009 6:08 pm
The Web is awash in movies and TV programs, but how do you find the
really good stuff--you know, the shows that interest you? You could
browse multiple sites, including crowd-pleasers like Hulu, but that's
too slow and tedious. What we need is an easy-to-use Internet
programming guide, and that's what Clicker strives to be.
The site just opened to the general public after a 58-day beta period,
and from what I've seen so far, it's a great resource for someone who
watches movies, TV shows, documentaries, and other videos online.
Clicker provides fast access to more than 400,000 full episodes of
programming from some 7,000 shows, according to company CEO Jim
Lanzone's blog.
"Clicker is a hybrid of many other kinds of information and
entertainment sites: one part directory, one part search engine, one
part Wiki, one part entertainment guide, and one part DVR," Lanzone
writes.
Here's a quick overview of how it works.
[Click to enlarge images below.]
Clicker is free to use. You don't have to join to use basic features,
such as searching for specific shows, but the service works best if
you create an account. The home page provides links to new, popular,
and recommended programming. There's also a query window (not
pictured) where you can search by title, topic, category, and so on.
It's pretty easy to find free TV shows--as well as pay movies on sites
such as Amazon VOD and Netflix. Say, for instance, you want to watch
"Caddyshack II" (a celluloid classic, I know). Enter the title, and
Clicker provides a movie synopsis and a link to Amazon VOD, a pay
source.
Click the Amazon link, and a separate browser window takes you
directly to the movie on Amazon, where you can watch a preview, or
rent or buy the film.
Clicker is a comprehensive programming guide. You can browse multiple
categories and sub-categories to find the show you want.
To get the most from Clicker, you'll need to create an account. If
you're a Facebook user, this is easy: Simply use your Facebook ID
(email and password) to sign up.
My favorite Clicker feature thus far is the Playlist, a virtual DVR
that keeps track of your favorite shows, films, news videos, and so
on. If you missed an episode of a particular TV sitcom or drama, you
can find it fast via your Playlist.
I'm sure I'll find more likes and dislikes as I delve deeper into
Clicker. But for now, I'm impressed. If you watch a lot of movies or
TV shows online, this programming guide is worth a look.
Contact Jeff Bertolucci via Twitter (@jbertolucci ) or at
jbertolucci.blogspot.com .