Table Of Content
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tv.com
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What is TV.com?
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Participation points
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History
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Why should you stream on TV.com?
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Simple sign-up
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Show submission
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Center-stage for content information
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Amazing community
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Design
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Header
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Hero Section
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Body
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Footer
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Inner Pages
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Content
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Classification on the basis of genre
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Desktop/Mobile experience
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Plans & Pricing
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Suggestions I have for TV.com
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Conclusion
tv.com
The rise of streaming services has sparked a whole new segment of fan buzz where an entire community just wants to engage in dialogue about a piece of content. There are forums and websites dedicated to specific shows and movies, where people converse with each other and become a part of a broader community. TV.com, on the other hand, is a platform where you'll find an entire community that discusses not just one but multiple titles from various networks.
Since TV.com is owned by CBS, you can access full episodes from partnered networks, such as HBO, Eye Network, NBC and CW in high definition. Apart from that, you get additional content such as behind-the-scenes news, message boards, featured videos and recaps. I tested the video playback on the website and I have to say that I am impressed with the stream speed.
What is TV.com?
TV.com is where all the best television shows live online. It's an ultimate platform for finding the latest episodes, reading about them and learning about breaking news. Join the community and engage in conversation with other fans! TV.com claims to be the most comprehensive TV site, based around its community.
TV.com is not a streaming platform, it's more like an aggregator that has clips, news, and highlights of different content materials offered on CBS and partnered networks. For actual streaming, you'll be redirected to streaming services such as Hulu, Vudu, Comcast, Amazon Prime, iTunes to name a few.
So what can you find on TV.com? There are descriptions of shows, cast and crew listings, discussion forums, detailed episode guides and clip length videos.
Participation points
You can enjoy watching a stream by looking at the episode guide which has different textual information that is user-generated. You'll find recaps, synopsis, credits, trivia, quotes, notes and supporting images. Some people who participate get a certain number of points and they eventually become an editor for the guide for which they can moderate the incoming submissions. This allows the platform to be user-focused where constructive communication can take place.
History
CNET acquired TV Tome, a television database, in the mid-2000s. One of their show was called TV.com - herein, they provided the best of the internet for new and casual computer users. In 2005, CNET launched their own website called TV Tome. Though they acquired and started their own website, they didn't change much from the original TV Tome site.
In 2008, CBS purchased CNET Networks and renamed the company CBS Interactive. At that time TV.com had new features such as watchlist which made the viewing experience different from other websites. Other elements that made TV.com stand out were based on user feedback (such as personalized listings), social media integration (such as Facebook and Twitter), and comprehensive content coverage.
Why should you stream on TV.com?
I like TV.com because normal users can start conversations and have their voices heard. There are dedicated forums which allow users to share, express their concern, praise or complain about content. Keeping it user-based has allowed CBS to understand a user's sentiment which it can use to improve its services.
Simple sign-up
I was able to sign up on TV.com within minutes. Most of these membership sites give users a hard time when signing up, but that's not the case with TV.com.
Show submission
You can submit your own entries on TV.com, and you can gain points by sharing trivia, quotes, images, information about a particular show. It's an open book that anybody can access and edit so you can ensure that accurate and in-depth details are available regarding each show. All the commitment and contribution doesn't go waste as TV.com can make you an editor if you reach a certain level.
Center-stage for content information
Many of the users dislike going to the actual website to get information about a particular TV show. Especially, with streaming sites that have their own originals would hardly ever have any criticism or ratings for their content. TV.com, on the other hand, helps gauge the audience's opinion thereby helping you understand if a particular TV show is worth watching or not.
Amazing community
Plus, I get to interact with other TV fans and discuss the latest news and gossip.
I enjoy being a part of TV.com because I get access to all the information, scoops, and coverage regarding my favorite TV shows. From Breaking Bad to Real Housewives, you'll find discussions about all the popular shows. Plus, I get to interact with other TV fans and discuss the latest news and gossip.
Design
When it comes to describing the design approach, I can't really seem to come up with a solid opinion. I like certain aspects, but then I dislike many of them too. For instance, the color tone is not consistent throughout the website. The center-aligned section looks outdated and the text and the news section hasn't been updated in quite a while.
Header
Let's start with something that's good and that has to be the header section. There's a huge search bar towards the left. You can use it to access information about your favorite shows directly. Apart from that, there are six other options in the header section- Shows, News, Community, People followed by Login and Join.
Hero Section
The right column is completely taken up by ads.
I feel disappointed when I come across websites that have banner ads above the content section. It looks like "clickbait-ish" and it does not help the user journey in any way. There are two main sections on these websites - one for content and one for ads. The content section has a small replay window on the left and some recap thumbnails. But the right column is completely taken up by advertisements.
Body
The website's claim that the body section is updated "every week" is, unfortunately, not true. The website's main sections - news, what to watch online, featured community posts, trending shows, and most popular shows - are all outdated and filled with ads. The right column also contains native ads from Taboola and there are sponsored content at the bottom as well.
Footer
There is a lot of clutter on the footer of TV.com. The designer didn't have much time to make it look nice. There are social media icons at the top followed by numerous options such as Shows, Movies, Web, People, News, Mobile, Community, Closed Captioning, Rating Guidelines, About Us, Jobs, and so on.
Inner Pages
The website's inner pages look cool and well-placed. There is a A-Z filter category with TV Shows, Movies and Web Series at the top. There is a list of the trending TV shows and the option to follow those shows. You will find the name of the program, the broadcaster, and synopsis followed by EP Guide, Videos and Community.
Content
TV.com has a lot of content, including some of the most popular shows on the planet. The list of shows you can find on TV.com includes Modern Family, According to Jim, Frontline, Survivor, Fixer Upper, American Ninja Warrior, Big Bang Theory, Seinfeld, Law & Order: Special Victims and many others.
Classification on the basis of genre
On the left side of the page, you'll find about 25 genres. When you click any of the genres, you'll be able to find shows which fall into that category. Some of the popular genres are Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Business, Arts, Drama, Music, News, Reality, Science, Sports, and Talk Shows & Gaming.
Desktop/Mobile experience
I browsed TV.com on my laptop and later on my Google Pixel 3a. The website seemed responsive, apart from the intrusive ads. I didn't face any hurdle while navigating across the website. Heck, I even found an advertisement from AliExpress between the rating and rankings section.
I liked the website because it let me watch the show and chose a background color.
Plans & Pricing
Registering on TV.com is free, but you'll be redirected to the partnered networks for streaming.
Suggestions I have for TV.com
I don't know what is wrong with TV.com, but they need to do better. The website design is not good and the news section is not active. It seems like the owner hasn't looked at it in a year.
Conclusion
TV.com could be a great platform if developers worked on an independent social media platform just focused on TV shows and updates. You can try visiting TV.com to learn about TV shows and updates, but why would you? It's readily available as a search query in the search engine results! This shows that TV.com as a platform has been underutilized.
Popular search queries
