DISH Explorer Shows You What’s Hot to Watch on TV

Part of my vision for 2013 is the rise of the “second screen” experience for viewers. In a lead-up to CES tomorrow, DISH has unveiled a pretty interesting iPad app for Hopper owners that doesn’t just control the device, but also recommends programming based on reviews and social media.

This is exactly what I think is coming for us to watch TV (and what I think an Apple set-top box could do for us), there are hundreds of shows on at any given time across any cable network. I know that I watch only a fraction of the channels that I could potentially watch. Often I find that I missed a favorite movie or show because I had no idea that among the hundreds of channels that I don’t usually check, something cool was on. While this app (available tomorrow to Hopper owners) doesn’t likely go that far (since it pings on popular shows at the moment), it’s certainly a step in the right direction. From the DISH press release the app will be able to:

Available tomorrow, DISH Explorer expands the functionality of the Hopper by allowing customers to:

• Discover popular and trending shows, including sporting events, across hundreds of live-TV channels, DVR recordings and on-demand programs;
• Engage with fans of the same show over Twitter and Facebook using the iPad;
• Control the Hopper from an iPad, including channel guide navigation and DVR management;
• Search live TV, DVR and on-demand programs using iPad’s keyboard instead of the remote control.

The next step in the iteration would be syncing in with GetGlue or IMDb to match your favorite shows and genres and start recommending things for you to watch. Really it wouldn’t be too hard. Like the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series? Okay, this channel is showing the movie. Like Merlin (the series that just wrapped up after 5 seasons), well maybe you’ll like Camelot and this channel is doing a marathon of the first season.

This isn’t hard. This is something I bet Apple is working on. And for Apple it becomes all the cooler because I’d bet (like I can do with Songza or Shazam), I’d be able to buy the show, movie, or soundtrack right there on screen too.

We’re getting there and DISH network has dipped its toe in the water with their Explorer app. Now, who do you think will be next?

Via: The Verge