Berlin-based startup Tweek.tv has launched its first personalised TV guide on the iPad at the London Web Summit today. Co-founder Marcel Düe gave a presentation as part of the conference’s startup competition in which he announced the release.
The app will initially be available in Germany and the UK, and provides a socially-curated service for on-demand video and live television.
Marcel told the panel at the event at the Brewery: “I don’t want to be limited in my choice of content, I want simplicity, I want to enjoy it. I want the discovery to be as easy as turning on the TV, but just with the good stuff; relevant content for me.”
The app lets users access, recommend and add a personal tagline to live TV, videos on demand and web originals via the iPad. None of the content is hosted by Tweek.tv; rather, users are referred to services like YouTube, Vimeo and BBC iPlayer. They can discover video content recommended by friends, get direct access to those videos and filter according to people they trust.
Marcel added: “Advice from social peers is the best way to discover new content.”
The app, which went into closed beta in December, helps TV viewers avoid browsing through channels and settling for something they don’t particularly like. Users can discover videos that friends have recommended on Tweek.tv or liked on Facebook in realtime.
“We felt that TV somehow is unconnected to all the rest of what we currently enjoy,” Marcel said, “all the different social services.”
In future, Tweek.tv could also curate recommendation information from sources such as IMDB.