It looks like Google is working on a one-stop hub for all your OTT services and streaming needs in Chrome, called Kaleidoscope. Those interested in accessing the service can check it out on chrome://kaleidoscope/. However, remember that a user needs to be on the developer-focused Chrome Canary. Note that the feature is currently not functional. If you do manage to log onto the page, you will notice three OTT providers on it - Netflix, Prime Videos and Disney+. It also has the caption “All your shows in one place” above the icons of the three services. You can check out the details on ChromeStory.
It looks like the Kaleidoscope home page will let you check the services you are subscribed to and become a one-stop hub for all your streaming needs. So if you want to see if a new episode of your favourite show has been released or simply want to start streaming something new, you don't need to log onto a service individually and can simply log into one place to find what you are looking for.
According to 9to5Google, “Kaleidoscope could offer Discover-like recommendations of what to watch next from selecting streaming providers. Those recommendations could appear when you open a New Tab Page. This might help in showing you more content that you wouldn’t necessarily find by aimlessly scrolling through the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Disney+”.
This could be Google's way of helping you discover what to watch next. It is possible that based on your watch history, or genres you like, Kaleidoscope could recommend something new for you to watch helping you save those hours spent searching for something new to binge. Netflix itself is testing a shuffle button to help users discover something new to watch. You can learn more about Netflix’s shuffle feature here.
It isn’t clear when or how Kaleidoscope will be released to the public and how many streaming services will be on board with it. It also remains to be seen whether users will be able to rent or purchase movies digitally as they can on services like Google Play Movies, YouTube, Apple TV and more. Internationally, users can also rent or purchase movies digitally via Amazon. How such a service will work with conflict of interest and business decisions remains to be seen.
In India, we have seen Xiaomi’s PatchWall UI running on its TVs present content first and then the service provider in the background. So you will see rows of movies and TV shows and it is only when you click on it that it will redirect you to a service provider like Zee5 or SonyLiv and more. This is an interesting way of giving content priority over the service. You can read more about PatchWall here.
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