TV Guide is a content discovery and scheduling app for live TV and streaming, providing personalized watchlists and deep-links for iOS users.
Product velocity
Maintenance
Daily rank 🇺🇸
—
Entertainment
Sentiment
4.3
115k reviews
Nemesis
Fragmented field
The App DNA
What makes this app unique?
The app removes the cognitive friction of searching across multiple streaming services and live TV providers to find where specific content is available.
For Television and film fans who need a centralized tool to track live airings and streaming availability across multiple platforms.
What does it look like?
Key features
Tracks specific shows and movies to provide updates on upcoming episodes and availability.
Provides one-tap deep links to streaming services or live TV providers based on user subscriptions.
Customizes TV schedules based on user-selected cable, satellite, or antenna providers.
How much does it cost?
The app is free to use, monetizing primarily through ad-supported editorial content and traffic redirection to streaming services.
Velocity
Maintenance developmentperformanceopaqueShow more...
The app has shipped only one release in the last 122 days, indicating a maintenance-focused development cycle. There is no evidence of new features or live operations, as the latest release was limited to general bug fixes and improvements. Development momentum is currently stagnant, with no significant updates provided to users in the last four months.
Who built it?
User Sentiment
What do users think recently?
Recent user voice shows a frustrated sentiment. Users appreciate long-term users value the consistent and accurate television schedule information for planning their daily viewing habits and mobile accessibility provides a convenient alternative to using the physical television remote for checking program schedules.
How are ratings & reviews evolving?
Weekly average review rating
What users say, by theme
- Long-term users value the consistent and accurate television schedule information for planning their daily viewing habits
- Mobile accessibility provides a convenient alternative to using the physical television remote for checking program schedules
- Inaccurate channel listings and missing local broadcast stations frustrate users who rely on antenna or cable providers
49 of 49 recent reviews analyzed · high confidence · Frustrated overall
Read the full review analysisUnlock 2 more frustration themes and 1 user request, each backed by review evidence.
Access the full report for freeCompetition
Competitive landscape for TV Guide: Streaming & Live TV
How's the Entertainment market?
TV Guide maintains a high-utility position with 115,343 total ratings, though the 122-day gap since the last update signals a shift toward maintenance. The app's reliance on legacy schedule data creates a retention moat that is currently being tested by UI regressions and channel mapping inaccuracies.
Read the market outlookThe rivals identified
Unlock the deeper market read.
Access the full report for freeThe Analyst's Read
Key takeaways for TV Guide: Streaming & Live TV
Where is it heading?
Users report: The market for content discovery is consolidating around streaming-native tools that offer real-time, algorithm-driven recommendations. TV Guide's reliance on legacy schedule data and a maintenance-only cadence leaves it exposed to these faster-moving rivals. The so-what for the PM is that without a return to active feature development, the app will lose its position as the primary navigation layer for content-heavy households.
- The 122-day update gap suggests a lack of active feature investment, which leaves the app vulnerable to competitors with faster, streaming-native discovery cycles.
- Persistent channel mapping errors and UI accessibility regressions in the latest release are driving a sustained negative sentiment trend among long-term users.
The SWOT
- Legacy brand authority sustains organic install velocity
- Integrating real-time streaming availability data could differentiate from generic search
Next best moves
Audit channel mapping logic because local provider inaccuracies are the top-cited frustration theme → reduce churn among antenna/cable users
+ 2 more prioritized movesThe counter-intuitive read
The app's maintenance-mode status is a strategic choice…
Read the full takeSince the last report: The competitive narrative has shifted from viewing maintenance as a cost-saving strategy to recognizing it as a direct threat to market share. The PM roadmap now formally includes UI accessibility remediation to address recent readability regressions.
Bottom line
Restoring core planning utility and fixing local channel mapping is necessary to defend the app's position as a reliable utility. Without these fixes, the maintenance-only cadence will continue to erode the user base as streaming-native alternatives offer more accurate discovery.
Unlock 2 critical frictions, 1 market threat, 2 more prioritized moves and the analyst’s take.
Access the full report for freeFAQ
Is TV Guide still accurate for local cable and antenna listings?
How does TV Guide compare to streaming-native discovery apps?
Is the app free to use?
What are some alternatives for tracking streaming availability?
Sources
- [1] App Store, source
Report last updated