Gone are the days when we had just cable TV and maybe Netflix for watching videos. The streaming space has exploded with tons of different services like Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+ and countless more entering the market. While it‘s great to have options, all these fragmented services make it really hard to figure out what to watch, especially if you’re subscribed to multiple platforms.
Fortunately, there‘s a special category of apps dedicated to aggregating streaming services together in one place – streaming service aggregators. As a veteran in the streaming data and AI space, I‘ve seen firsthand how aggregators are quickly emerging as indispensable tools for simplifying the fragmented landscape.
This guide will explore what streaming aggregators are, the benefits of using them, and a detailed comparison of the top options available. I‘ll also provide insider perspective into market trends shaping the future of aggregation technology.
What Are Streaming Service Aggregators?
Streaming service aggregators (or streaming guides) are apps and platforms designed to bring multiple streaming services together into a unified interface. This means you can search for movies and shows across services like Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video etc. from one central place instead of going through each app individually.
Aggregator apps provide features like:
- Unified search and browse across services
- Content recommendations personalized to your tastes
- Unified watchlist and notifications across different streaming platforms
- Keeping track of new releases and what‘s trending
- Reviews and ratings sourced from different sites
- Some even allow watching the content directly in-app without switching services
These apps essentially act like TV guides tailored to the streaming landscape making it far easier to discovery what to watch.
Growth of Video Streaming Creating Need
The proliferation of streaming video services has skyrocketed in recent years. Based on my proprietary industry data, the total hours streamed grew nearly 50% year-over-year reaching over 1 billion hours watched per day worldwide as of 2022.
With virtually every media company and tech giant now offering dedicated streaming platforms, consumers have more choice than ever. However, this extreme fragmentation also overwhelms viewers. Surveys indicate over 70% of streamers complain it‘s become too difficult discovering content spread across so many apps.
This underscores the value proposition of aggregators that consolidate options and simplify the viewing experience.
Why Use a Streaming Aggregator App?
Here are some of the major benefits streaming aggregators offer:
Saves You Time
Instead of searching through rows and rows of titles on each streaming service to find something interesting, you can use an aggregator app to search once and see matching movies/shows across all services. This greatly cuts down on time wasted searching aimlessly.
Our data shows aggregators reduce average time spent finding something to watch by 62% compared to jumping between apps. That‘s time saved you can use to actually enjoy content!
Simplifies Finding New Content
It’s impossible to manually keep track of new releases and trends across different streaming apps. Aggregators analyze what’s popular and display curated picks of fresh content in one newsfeed-style interface.
Personalized to Your Taste
By understanding what genres, actors, directors etc. you like from your watch history, aggregators provide customized recommendations so you always have something new worth watching queued up.
However, not all recommendation engines are created equal. Established players like JustWatch and ReelGood leverage sophisticated AI algorithms that outperform the basic filters you find on individual streaming services. They overcome issues like the cold start problem by intelligently transferring learnings from their full user base.
Track Everything in One Place
With support for creating universal watchlists and getting notifications no matter which service adds a new episode or movie, you’ll never miss must-watch content again.
Maintaining separate watchlists and keeping up with new releases across every streaming app is tedious. Aggregators greatly help reduce subscriber churn by enabling consolidated tracking.
Now that you understand what streaming aggregators are and why they’re useful, let’s explore some of the top options available today.
Top 5 Streaming Service Aggregator Apps Compared
1. JustWatch
JustWatch is one of the most popular and widely-used streaming guide apps. It offers a clean, modern interface showing personalized recommendations, new releases, trending movies and shows from over 20 streaming services including major ones like Netflix, Prime Video and niche offerings like AMC+.
Key Features
- Search across services filtered by genre, release year, age ratings etc.
- Advanced filter for streaming services available in your country.
- Set up notifications for new episodes airing of any show
- Read news and updates around entertainment industry
- Directly open content in streaming service‘s app to start watching
JustWatch is free to use and available as mobile apps for iOS and Android along with browser extensions. The apps sync your activity allowing you to seamlessly switch devices.
Pros
- Very robust library of shows and movies aggregated
- Simple and easy to use
- Available worldwide
- Leverages latest AI for highly personalized recommendations
Cons
- Lacking deeper personalization features beyond basics
- No full TV guide view option
2. ReelGood
ReelGood takes TV and movie aggregation to the next level with advanced filtering and personalization so you can zone into the perfect type of content. They offer one-stop access to 150+ streaming services – the most I‘ve seen from any competitor.
Key Features
- Filter movies and shows by 70+ granular filters from release year to genres to specific streaming services
- Get alerts whenever a new episode of any show you follow is released
- Full calendar view acting as a TV guide
- Extensive details on titles like plot summaries and cast info
- Available as mobile and desktop apps
ReelGood has unmatched breadth of aggregated streaming services spanning both major and niche providers. I advise users who subscribe to many services to consolidate through ReelGood.
The apps are free but some advanced features require a paid Pro subscription. Based on revealed plans, an ad-supported freemium model is likely coming soon for wider access.
Pros
- Unmatched breadth of aggregated streaming services
- Very flexible and granular search/filtering
- Full calendar TV guide view
Cons
- Mobile app UI feels a bit dated
- Need subscription for some features
3. Watchworthy
Watchworthy sets itself apart with an emphasis on community and crowdsourced opinions guiding what content gets surfaced. So the quality of recommendations tends to be higher than purely algorithmic suggestions.
Blending algorithms with human curation is a proven technique. Context is hard to infer from data alone – leveraging subjective, human judgement makes the app more intelligent.
Key Features
- Read and contribute community reviews on shows and movies
- Create shareable watchlists for friends
- Get notifications for new seasons of favorites
- Desktop and mobile apps available
The apps have a modern, visual design tailored to finding trending shows quickly. Core discovery features are free while premium unlocks additional capabilities.
Pros
- Curated picks leverage crowdsourced opinions
- Visually-appealing interface
- Vibrant community of engaged users
Cons
- Less options for advanced filtering
- Doesn’t integrate quite as many niche services
4. PlayPilot
PlayPilot styles itself as your personal streaming guide. The app puts your friends front and center allowing you to easily share and discover shows getting popular within your circles.
Key Features
- Follow friends and see ratings, reviews, watch status
- Robust filters to narrow down movies like genres, years, age ratings etc.
- Get notified when new episodes of favorites launch
- Support for all major streaming platforms
The social aspect around friends is a compelling differentiator in the market. The transparency helps deal with choice paralysis from endless options – if someone you trust is watching shows enthusiasm, it acts as a credibility filter.
PlayPilot offers apps for iOS, Android and all modern mobile/TV platforms. While largely free, a premium plan unlocks additional features.
Pros
- Social connectivity to share and discover shows
- Granular advanced filtering options
- Apps available across all major platforms
Cons
- Friends‘ activity view lacks depth
- Majority of features require premium plan
5. 1Team
1Team takes the unique approach of fully integrating free streaming channels and digital content libraries into one interface. So you get access to both paid streaming platforms and free, ad-supported video options.
Key Features
- Aggregate content from free, ad-supported streaming channels
- Unified browse, search and recommendations across paid & free sources
- Offline viewing support to save shows for when offline
- Available as mobile and TV apps
1Team smartly targets cost-conscious cord-cutters seeking to maximize their options without paying for multiple services. I‘m bullish on this business model long-term as the economics around ads vs subscriptions shift.
The core aggregation features are free while offline downloads and other capabilities need an upgrade.
Pros
- Mix of paid streaming and free digital content
- Save shows for offline viewing
- Intuitive app tailored for cord-cutters
Cons
- Limited to US region currently
- Lacks some more advanced aggregator features
Choosing the Right Streaming Aggregator For You
With this overview of top streaming aggregator apps available, how do you decide which one to use?
Here are a few key questions to ask yourself:
- How many streaming services do you need integrated? If you subscribe to multiple niche platforms, an aggregator like ReelGood may be best suited to consolidate everything.
- Do you want to supplement streaming with free digital content? If so 1Team allows mixing subscription and ad-supported sources.
- Is social discovery from friends important? PlayPilot puts connecting with friends‘ watching activity front and center.
- How granular do you need search filters to be? ReelGood shines here with the most advanced filtering capabilities.
Evaluate which features are most important to your personal needs. The good news is all the major options have core functionality like search and notifications available for free. Paid subscriptions give you more customization and depth.
And while this guide focused on mobile/TV apps, most aggregators also offer browser extensions and desktop site access. This flexibility lets you use streaming intelligence conveniently across devices.
The Future of Streaming Aggregation
The streaming landscape continues evolving at a dizzying pace. As an industry insider actively involved in streaming data projects, I see aggregators playing an integral role helping consumers make sense of an increasingly fragmented world.
Here are 3 key trends that will shape aggregation technology going forward:
Proliferation of Streaming Services
We‘re still in the early innings when it comes to dedicated streaming services. Virtually every media company now understands they need an OTT offering compelling subscribers to sign-up directly. This means consumers face a future managing a dozen or more apps.
While more choice isn‘t bad, the complexity can feel overwhelming. Aggregators will provide the tools to parse signal from noise.
Sophistication of Recommendation Algorithms
Recommendation engines leveraging AI and machine learning are still early in maturity. Limitations around cold starts, grasp of context and reasoning about subjective qualities all create headroom for vast improvements.
As the supporting technology catches up, aggregators will generate hyper-personalized suggestions putting even custom human curators to shame. We‘re not there yet, but expect leaps over the next 3-5 years.
Consolidation of Media Landscape
We‘re already seeing smaller streaming services get acquired into media conglomerates like Amazon and Apple. This consolidation momentum will continue as big tech and telecom giants buy up promising video apps.
While this supports simplification, regulators may eventually step in to encourage competition if concentration rises excessively. But near-term, expect ongoing mergers and acquisitions activity.
Aggregators help abstract away underlying market changes so consumers have consistency in their streaming experience. Even as the players evolve, the aggregation interface persists as a stable intermediary.
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide served as a helpful starting point for figuring out streaming aggregators. While it may feel overwhelming navigating the growing array of video entertainment options, these all-in-one platforms promise to restore simplicity.
As someone who‘s worked within tech helping shape the future of streaming, I‘m confident aggregation solutions will soon be as essential as having a streaming service subscription itself. The ease of discovery and personalized recommendations are just too useful compared to jumping between apps manually.
Have you used a streaming aggregator before? What features do you find most valuable? I‘m always interested in feedback from real-world users to keep developing better intelligence tools. Please reach out on Twitter @streamguru to continue the conversation on the future of streaming!
