UK satellite broadcaster BSkyB (Sky) has started rolling out an all-new Sky+ search service today, kicking off first with its Android app.
Users can now discover TV shows by cast names, actors and keywords, letting them hone in on anything from football and cartoons, to cooking and comedy. This feature is in addition to the existing service which lets people search content by programme name.
How it looks
When you start searching for a particular piece of content, you’ll see a list of best-guesses as you type, covering just about any search parameter.
The enhanced search is also based on current popular TV search trends, and we’re told this will develop over time as more Sky customers use the search function.
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Similarly, if you search for an actress, such as Kirsten Dunst, the search results will display all the movies she’s currently in that are broadcasting on Sky.
With this latest Android app update, Sky has also introduced on-demand listings which lets customers browse catch-up, TV box sets, Sky Movies and Sky Store. When users connect the app to their Sky+HD box, they can actions downloads directly from the app.
Back in February, the Sky+ Android app received remote control functionality, as well as a new recording planner feature, which brought it into line with the iPhone and iPad apps. But just last week, Sky was forced to remove its Android apps, including Sky+, from Google Play after they were seemingly ‘compromised’ by the Syrian Electronic Army. The apps were eventually added again, after almost a week.
To access the full feature-set of the Sky+ Android app, you must have your Sky+HD box connected to the same WiFi network as your device. And, as this is part of a staged roll-out, we can expect this search feature to arrive on its other apps and Sky+ box shortly.
Sky+ 4.0 for Android is available to download now.
Feature Image Credit – BEN STANSALL/AFP/GettyImages
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