Virgin Media is rolling out a free upgrade to its TV boxes, giving millions of customers a smarter way to find something to watch. The telecoms giant has announced the launch of Smart Search, a feature designed to make discovering new shows and films more conversational, removing the need to remember exact titles or browse through endless lists.
How Smart Search Works
Once the update arrives, viewers can make requests such as "find a feel-good film", "show me new releases" or "load a space adventure film". Smart Search then brings up a selection of recommendations based on what they've asked for. The more detail provided, the better the results should be, with searches such as "funny films" or "action movies" helping the system understand exactly what the user is after.
Users can also search by an actor's name, a particular genre, or plot details, meaning even if they've forgotten the name of a film, they should still be able to track it down.
How to Use Smart Search
To use the feature, customers press and hold the microphone button on their Virgin Media remote, tell it what they want to watch, and Smart Search produces a list of relevant recommendations. They can then browse the results and pick something to watch.
Virgin Media explained: "Ever spent more time scrolling through TV menus than actually watching something? Whether you're after a feel-good film, a comedy to watch with friends or something new for family movie night, finding the perfect pick shouldn't feel like a mission."
Launch Details
Louise Fussell, TV & Entertainment Product Director at Virgin Media, said: "With nearly 60% of viewers wanting a helping hand in finding what to watch, we've launched Smart Search on Virgin TV to make content discovery quicker, simpler and more intuitive than ever before."
She added: "By understanding how viewers naturally talk, Smart Search helps to cut the endless scroll and surface relevant recommendations in seconds so viewers can spend less time searching and more time enjoying the entertainment they love."
