We are living in confusing and difficult times. As more and more regions around the globe mandate social distancing to help flatten the curve on the spread of COVID-19, many people are finding themselves stuck inside without a lot to do. As a result, it should come as no surprise that streaming services are being leaned on heavily to provide much-needed sources of entertainment during these trying times.
But one of the most frustrating elements of all the streaming networks and programming options available to us today is that it can be incredibly difficult for many people to penetrate the membrane of content in order to arrive at the material that truly captivates you.
Ranker, launched in 2009, is a website and digital media company that features hierarchical lists, adjusted in real-time by user input, which rank the quality of everything from movies and TV to food, sports, personalities, and much, much more. Users input likes and dislikes into the ranking system, and the popularity charts adjust accordingly, providing real-time data on what consumers are enjoying.
But as engaging and fun to browse through as they may be, the lists on Ranker do not do much in the way of providing actionable information for someone struggling to figure out what to try out next. And with all the noise out there, that is what people are truly in need of.
Enter Watchworthy, a new app from Ranker, officially launching on March 23rd.
Watchworthy works by having the user take a brief quiz on shows they enjoy and follows up with personalized recommendations of what your tastes indicate you should check out next, in a descending order based on the likelihood of success.
Because Ranker first curated the opinion data of millions of consumers (reportedly over one billion votes in total) prior to launching Watchworthy, the company has put itself in a unique position to provide meaningful, actionable data on what shows an individual might be predisposed to enjoy.
Apps with this goal in mind have been tried before, but by and large, they all failed, predominantly for not being able to consistently give accurate recommendations to users. In some cases, the data was simply insufficient or lacking in scope. In others, the app was sponsored or owned by an individual streaming service, and so lost users by giving overtly slanted recommendations. As a third party, Ranker and Watchworthy have no dog in the fight, save their own success, which requires providing the most accurate recommendations possible.
Ultimately, Watchworthy can be a great utility for people who find themselves overwhelmed by the excess of TV options out there. The app is incredibly user-friendly, with a massive program database. And with people binging shows like never before, it has never been a better time for an app like this to come along.
You can download Watchworthy on your mobile device starting today.
Ranker Introduces Watchworthy, A Free Personalized TV Recommendation App That Makes It Easy to Find What to Watch Next
Watchworthy Curates Personalized Watchlists From Over 200 Streaming Services
LOS ANGELES MARCH 23, 2020 – Ranker, known as the world’s leading publisher for fan-powered rankings on just about everything, announced today the unveiling of Watchworthy, a free app that offers personalized TV recommendations and allows users to build their own watchlist from TV networks and over 200 streaming services such as Netflix, HBO, Disney+, Hulu, Amazon Prime, AppleTV+, and many more.
“There’s an inherent problem when only one-third of adults say they browse their streaming content menus, and 21% say they would simply give up altogether when they can’t find something to watch. And with so much TV out there, it’s only getting harder to pick new shows across all of the new streaming services popping up,” said Clark Benson, CEO, and founder of Ranker. “Watchworthy is designed to relieve the paradox of choice by accurately recommending what is worthy of your time, where to find it, and how to watch it.”
Watchworthy is uniquely powered by Ranker’s proprietary machine learning platform applying first-party correlation data amassed over a decade from one billion votes on Ranker.com, thus making Watchworthy the only statistically relevant, crowd-sourced recommendation app using psychographic correlation data available to consumers. For example, the data indicates that fans of Better Call Saul tend to love gritty, dark dramas like House of Cards, Ray Donovan, and True Detective, but also cerebral comedies like Nathan for You and High Maintenance.
In just 60 seconds of liking and disliking shows, Watchworthy discerns – with accurate probability – what shows the user is likely to love or not across all networks and streaming services. Watchworthy can then turn a phone or tablet into a smart, personalized remote where users can immediately start watching shows from their watchlist directly on the device or cast to a TV. No more toggling in and out of each app for those cord-cutters.
Additional Watchworthy features:
Recommendations are made across every streaming service on both old and new shows that match personal taste
Shows are given a “worthy” score based on the percentage of likelihood that the show is worthy of the user’s time
Users can filter shows by service, genre, runtime, and MPAA ratings
Ranker’s 50K TV lists are integrated into the app providing a deeper content experience than any other recommendation app
Watchworthy builds one, cross-platform watchlist. Users will have the ability to set the existing services they subscribe to, including services they don’t
Later in 2020, the app will be available on select connected devices (a la Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire)
Watchworthy is free and currently available on iOS devices. Download from the App Store here.
More features like movie recommendations, shared watchlists, Android and OTT apps (Roku, Apple TV, etc.) coming soon in 2020.
About Ranker
Ranker, a Quantcast Top 50 site in the US, attracts more than 40 million monthly unique visitors worldwide and is the leader in fan-powered rankings on just about everything. Whatever the topic – TV, movies, video games, sports, brands, food, lifestyle – Ranker puts the vote into the hands of millions rather than a few critics to answer the questions we are most passionate about. Over 1 billion votes now power Ranker Insights, a machine learning platform featuring a treasure trove of psychographic correlation data that delivers personalized consumer recommendations (“if you like X, you’ll also like Y, Z”), and also audience insights to marketers, studios, and platforms seeking a deeper understanding of consumer tastes and preferences. Ranker made #187 on Deloitte’s 2019 Technology Fast 500 featuring the fastest growing companies in North America, built in LA’s Top 50 Mid-Sized Companies To Work For in 2020, and ranked number 102 on 2020 Inc. 5000 Series: California’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies. Headquartered in Los Angeles, Ranker also has offices in Chicago and NYC.
