MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—Google announced enhancements to its search engine this week to give viewers more information on live TV programming.
In the United States now, when a viewer enters a particular keyword for MLB and NBA games into the Google Search Engine (i.e. “where to watch the Clippers game”), the information available has been expanded to cover a larger variety of viewing options.
“You can also find live TV options by searching for the individual team or game,” Google wrote in an online blog. “For example, if you search for ‘Dodgers game,’ you’ll see all of our usual game day features like live scores, top stories, and standings, but you’ll now see a new ‘Live on’ button, which shows the live TV options in your area.”
Google said this feature currently includes a variety of cable and network channels, and will be expanded to more digital streaming options soon.
Google is also enhancing its recommendations for finding programming on linear TV by adding carousels of live content from cable and broadcast providers.
“When you search for things like ‘what to watch’ or ‘good shows to watch’ on mobile, you’ll now have visibility into both streaming and live TV shows,” Google said. “Our ‘On TV now’ carousel shows you programming across multiple channels that’s currently airing, while ‘On TV later’ shows you recommendations for future programming.”
