Microsoft launched Bing to compete with the might of Google, and after seeing the popularity of online tv they have improved their entertainment section to include streaming video, and comprehensive tv episode listings. Bing have also added music, lyrics and online games.

The changes come after Bing has seen entertainment becoming more important to web users. “In the field of entertainment, 76% of people use search to help find and navigate their entertainment options online, but only 10% say they have a trusted place to go,” writes Bing’s senior VP, Yusuf Mehdi. By becoming a one-stop shop for a variety of entertainment needs, Bing still the number 3 search engine is hoping the changes will keep searchers on their pages. The Bing search now looks for content from many providers including Youtube and Hulu

An example of how Bing is listening to users comes with the addition of lyrics. Bing saw the figure of 70% plus of users searched for lyrics on the web, so added a novel way for searchers to find lyrics. It licensed over 5 million songs for full-length streaming via Microsoft’s Zune service, however users can only listen to a full song once. After the initial full-length play, users will hear a 30 second clip of the song and will be redirected to a purchase page.

According to Mehdi, over 60% of people have used a search engine to find a TV episode online, and more than 30% of users watch all of their TV content on the web. To that end Bing has added a complete listing of television streams and info online (more than 1,500 tv shows), plus guide information to organise TV viewing. Bing also has added feeds and reviews from social networking websites.

Incoming TV searches:

improve tv

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