Watch It – Find Out What’s On

Between first-run theaters, online downloads, and on-demand options, finding movies to watch has never been easier. Unfortunately, the information overload that comes from having so many options available at the click of a mouse can make it difficult to decide what to watch on an average Friday night. Watch It is a useful web-application that people can use to sort it all out.

Choosing which movie to watch used to be simple. You’d flip open the newspaper to see what was playing at the local theater, or you’d visit a nearby video store to see what they had in stock. Now, you can end up spending an hour or more browsing through films on Netflix Instant, iTunes, Amazon, Hulu, and other competing services just to find out what’s available at any given time. Watch It can help you figure out which videos are available from which services. The web-app also reminds you when the flicks you’re looking forward to seeing have been released on the services you use. Sign up for an account with Watch It by entering your email address or connecting through Facebook, and then enter some basic information like your cable provider and any sources you use for on-demand or downloadable content. When you’re officially signed up, you can start adding movies to your Watch It queue. Watch It will alert you when the movies you’ve added have become available through the services you use.

If you’ve connected with Watch It through Facebook, you can browse through the movies your friends are interested watching and organize get-togethers with people who are interested in seeing the same flicks. You can also add the Watch It widget to your personal website or mobile app as a way to promote the application and get more people viewing your customized queue.

Practical Uses:

• Find out when a new release is coming to DVD
• Get notified when your favorite movie is released on Netflix Instant
• Browse through the movies your friends are excited to see
• Download certain movies rather than watching them in theaters

Insider Tips:

• Users can make their Watch It queues public, private, or accessible to friends
• Watch It personalizes its information based on each user’s cable provider
• People can let Watch It know which downloading services they use for watching films
• Users have the option to connect with Watch It through Facebook

What we liked:

• Watch It will send users alerts when movies in their queues become available
• Queues can be sorted by downloading service
• People can add movies to their queues even before they’ve hit theaters
• Facebook users can browse their friends’ queues for movie ideas

What we didn’t like:

• Watch It won’t let you search for movies by actor or actress

Alternatives:

• None

Company Info:

• Launched: 2011 (Public Beta)
• Privately Held
• Headquarters: New York, New York
• Founded by: David Larkin
• Web site: http://gowatchit.com

Costs:

• Free