CBS has finally joined the ranks of many of its colleagues in the broadcasting business and released an iOS app today. No longer will we be tied to cbs.com to catch up on our favorite shows. This is a welcome relief to someone like me who 1) isn’t home all the time to watch live TV, 2) can’t watch all the TV he wants to watch and 3) quite frankly doesn’t have enough DVR space. CBS had notoriously been stingy when its content. It had licensing deals for its catalog with Netflix and others but the only way to watch first run shows was on the website. So like anybody who loves accessible tv content I went ahead and gave the app a spin. Here’s how it went.
I went ahead downloaded the version for the iPad though the app is universal and works on the iPhone too (I’ll try that later). It’s got a pretty nice interface and aesthetically pleasing. The banner ads flow across the bottom of the screen and look like they fit right in. The home page has the necessary horizontal scroll feature wheel. The rest of the page is filled with thumbnails for full videos of its available first run shows. They show the original air date which I find helpful in figuring out what I need to watch. There’s also a pretty slick looking schedule that you can access off the home page that shows the primetime schedule for the next two weeks. Tapping on a show will pop up a box with episode info where you can add to your watchlist, add to your calendar (nifty), go to the show page or share over email Facebook or Twitter.
My first attempt at a show was to catch up on one of my favorites, How I Met Your Mother. Bringing up a show page gives you requisite show info. The right hand side gives you the option of viewing a list of latest full episodes or clips. You can also see photos, meet the cast or get “social” with the show and see what the social media buzz is.
I caught up on one HIMYM episode and it was a good experience. The player is similar to HBO Go where you can view it large or small. The in show advertisements are just like the website and non-intrusive. The video quality was good too (note that I’m using an iPad 2). Overall a good experience.
First run content for primetime is available 7-8 days after it airs on TV (I have found conflicting info) and daytime / late night shows are available 24 hours after they air. So all in all it’s a good app for the first release and it can only get better. I’m happy I can now catch up on CBS at the gym or other places I’m not near my cable box.
Enjoy!
Schedule
Home page
