JustWatch just made the media streaming hub of my dreams

It’s the golden age of tv and films. Nonetheless, the abundance of streaming companies has created a complete new drawback. Not solely are you anticipated to have a number of streaming subscriptions, however discovering content material is tougher than ever. Most of the time, I find yourself spending extra time in search of one thing to observe or juggling by means of Netflix, Prime Video, and different platforms to search out the place my favourite present is streaming. This isn’t the longer term we had been promised. Nonetheless, JustWatch‘s newest replace may need lastly solved my streaming woes as soon as and for all.

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I’ve lengthy relied on the JustWatch cellular app (Play Retailer) to search out suggestions and preserve a observe of upcoming reveals, films, and watch lists. Extra importantly, I exploit the app to search out out the place to observe these reveals. However there was nonetheless a whole lot of friction, and I typically prevented utilizing the app on my streaming bins due to the sheer variety of steps concerned. From launching it, to tapping my watchlist, scrolling to a present, wanting up the streaming service it’s out there on, backtracking to the house web page, opening the streaming app, looking for the present, and then lastly watching the present, it was an especially tedious course of.

The newest replace to JustWatch tosses out most of these steps — or at the very least the second half. Not solely does it present you the place content material is streaming, it now bounces you on to the present or film’s touchdown web page on no matter platform it’s streaming on.

Now you is likely to be questioning, didn’t Plex simply launch the same function? Plex Uncover, introduced earlier this week, does one thing very related. Actually, my colleague Frederick proclaims that it might very effectively kill streaming media bins. I disagree.

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I’m an enormous fan of Plex. My dwelling server has dozens of terabytes of content material meticulously organized by Plex. Nonetheless, Uncover is a function that’s tacked on to an already bloated platform. The tab is tucked distant underneath a bunch of choices, and the interface has been something however fluid in my checks. Certain, it’s out there on cellular as effectively, however the clunky interface is much more noticeable while you simply wish to rapidly add a brand new film to your watchlist. Primarily, Uncover is a aspect observe for a service that’s already stretched skinny between its core streaming providing and its ambition to consolidate free content material, dwell TV, and extra.

JustWatch, then again, has streaming content material discovery at its core. Even the implementation is designed to get you to your most well-liked present or film as rapidly as doable. Simply log in to your JustWatch account, and scroll by means of a listing of fashionable titles or your individual watchlist. Faucet the streaming service, and it’ll ship you on to the present or film’s touchdown web page.

Now, it’s not that we haven’t seen this earlier than. Certainly one of my favourite options of Xiaomi’s televisions in India is PatchWall. The software program pores and skin integrates each streaming companies and over-the-air programming to offer you a common search choice in addition to a wishlist. Nonetheless, that’s locked to Xiaomi’s ecosystem.

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Equally, the Apple TV, Chromecast with Google TV, Amazon Hearth Stick, and Roku supply options that approximate the consolidated search expertise. For apparent causes, there are restrictions to the platforms you possibly can search by means of, and any suggestions or wishlists are locked to the respective streaming bins.

JustWatch, then again, frees up streaming from the shackles of proprietary ecosystems. Content material solutions, preferences, and watchlists can now journey with you regardless of the platform.

Attending to my most well-liked media is all that issues. And JustWatch’s fluid, platform-agnostic method in the direction of enabling that, with none of the cruft related to Plex, pushes it proper on the high of my listing of favourite media apps.