MeeVee Brings Web Interactivity to TV
Television program guide service MeeVee is expected to announce Monday a new version of its site that adds functionality such as Internet television channels, better search functionality, user recommendations and reviews, and contextual e-commerce features provided through Amazon.com.
The site has been in beta since June of last year, however Monday marks the official launch of the product along with the new features. MeeVee president Michael Raneri says what sets the service apart is its improved search functions.
"Other search engines, such as your Googles and Yahoos, are retrospective search engines," Raneri told BetaNews. "We're a prospective search engine" in the way that the site helps the user find something to watch, he continued.
MeeVee is taking the Web 2.0 revolution head-on with the new site, focusing on personalization features. MeeVee also realizes that media content is increasingly becoming viral, Raneri said.
"[The site] literally takes consumers by the hand and introduces them to all the new content that exists on the Internet beyond the traditional content they currently know," he added.
A channel guide and player would allow the user to view Internet content within the framework of the site. Additionally, with the help of personalization, MeeVee would learn the user's likes and dislikes.
"We know you like this, so we'll find an Internet TV station" that matches those interests, he said. Raneri noted that the site's search engine strives to be more relevant by not only allowing the user to search for a particular program, but even a particular scene of an actor with episodes of shows.
Raneiri says that the company's method of searching transcends the traditional grid format used by other sites and services that assist people in finding what to watch. "The grid breaks down with hundreds of channels and when time doesn't matter," he explained.
Along with the search and Internet television features, MeeVee will also include a community aspect where users can comment on actual show content. The idea is to enable users to "develop their own program information alongside programmer show details, offering a more user-centric driven content area," the company says.
Additionally, MeeVee has partnered with Amazon in order to allow users to purchase DVDs and other material related to the TV content that they are viewing.
Finally, the company has announced that it would allow intergration with Apple's iTunes media player. Through this functionality, a user would be able to download MeeVee content into iTunes and onto the iPod with a single click.
Analysts believe that there is still a demand for better video search options, despite new services from Yahoo, Google and AOL.
"According to our research, consumer demand will continue to fuel the need for better video content search options," explained Mike Wolf, Principal Analyst at ABI Research. "Consumers need a better way to filter through all the available content to find exactly what they want to watch, when they want to watch it."