Back in July, Erick took a trip to a hotel suite in Manhattan to get a demo of BuddyTV’s new iPhone app. You can check it out here. For those unfamiliar, BuddyTV’s iPhone and Android apps turn your smartphones into a smart viewing guide and a remote control with enhanced social features like chat and the ability to broadcast what you’re watching to Facebook and Twitter. At the time, the app was working exclusively with Google TVs, but today BuddyTV is announcing that it has landed another big fish: AT&T.

Beginning today, all AT&T U-verse users can directly control their receivers with the BuddyTV Guide. Using their iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, subscribers can use the smart channel guide to display only the channels that they want to watch. As you “heart and rate shows and channels, the app gives you recommendations based on your personal preferences and what the app thinks users want to watch. And, just like Netflix, the recommendations get smarter the more you “favorite” and the more you watch. (Speaking of Netflix, the app also integrates with Netflix Instant for users who subscribe to the streaming video service.)

Thus, users can create favorite channels to create a personalized TV listings view that displays only those channels that users watch most often (including HD channels), as well as allowing users to set up reminders and receive push notifications so that they’ll never miss another episode of America’s Funniest Home Videos.

For AT&T U-verse users and avid smartphone users, this is an awesome bonus, as it is essentially turning your iPhone into a master TV remote that learns the more you use it.

The BuddyTV Guide app is free to download and is available now in the App Store. Native Android and Google TV versions are coming soon.

For more, check out the video below:

A couple weeks ago, I went to a hotel suite in Manhattan to get a demo of BuddyTV’s new iPhone app, which hit the app store a few days ago. In the video above, CTO Bill Baxter takes me through the main features. He shows me on an iPad for easier viewing, but the app is for the iPhone and soon Android. It combines a viewing guide on your iPhone, with social features like chat and being able to broadcast what shows you are watching to Facebook and Twitter. But it also suggests shows for you to watch that are airing now, upcoming, trending, or on your favorites list. The app works with Google TVs, and eventually will be able to act as a remote with tablets and phones that sport an IR transmitter. (With Google TVs and Dish set-top boxes it will work over WiFi).

The problem it is trying to solve, says founder Andy Liu is that “70% of the time people are watching sub-optimal content. People turn on TV and end up at Karate Kid 2.” The BuddyTV mobile app tries to be smart about suggesting what shows to watch. It doesn’t care if the show is on your cable system, Netflix, DVR (if supported) or somewhere else. It lets you “heart” and rate shows and channels, and then it gives you recommendations base don what it thinks you want to watch. Perhaps the best little feature is teh ability to go through your program guide and heart just your favorite channels and then look at only those—a feature I begged Verizon TV honcho Eric Bruno to let me do on FIOS TV, or at least on the FIOS iPad app.

The app also pulls in previews, recaps, and other TV trivia from the main BuddyTV site. And you can set reminders for shows you want to watch with notifications on your phone. (Because you need to be reminded to watch TV). Here’s a slicker promo video:

BuddyTV aims to provide a comprehensive resource and community for television fans, serving up daily editorials, interviews, and discussions. Other features include a “Television Jockey” service, which allows users to stream video and audio live to other members as they share their thoughts on the latest TV events.

In June 2007 BuddyTV raised $2.8 million in a round led by Gemstar-TV Guide. Competitors to BuddyTV include MeeVee, which was recently placed on Deadpool watch.

We should note that previous rumors of BuddyTV’s acquisition by Comcast have proven to be false.

Seattle based BuddyTV is a television focused content network with a team of dedicated entertainment writers producing content that is complemented by users. The company took $2.8 million from Gemstar-TV Guide in July. Comcast previously acquired Fandango, an online movie ticket selling company that also ran a entertainment guide called Fancast.

If confirmed, it’s an interesting buy that fits more in the blogging acquisition space, placing the deal alongside the acquisitions of Weblogs Inc and more recently TreeHugger. Certainly BuddyTV’s mix of paid writers/ bloggers and user contributions highlights the value of content in a market where service/ product acquisitions usually get most of the press.

More if and when we are able to confirm the deal.

(via PC)

BuddyTV is a television focused content network with a team of dedicated entertainment writers producing content that is complemented by users. The service also provides broadcasting tools. See our previous coverage here on the space.

NASDAQ listed Gemstar- TV Guide is best known in the United States for its TV Guide publication. Their involvement in the round is significant due to Gemstar – TV Guide’s background; this is a serious long term player in the television industry investing in a new media TV related startup. The expertise and depth of knowledge BuddyTV will now have access to should bide them well in an increasingly competitive vertical.

(via PeHUB)