"Now Streaming" Email

Introduction

When I moved back into Atlanta six years ago, I didn't get cable TV. Not because of any deep philosophical or financial reasons: I was just indifferent about it and curious how far streaming had come. Since then streaming has exploded into our phones, game consoles, and TVs but it still has a major problem.

The Problem

How do I know when new episodes and movies are available without regularly visiting multiple places?

The solution won't come from one of the service providers. They want their website to be your starting-point so they can push their new content and more easily direct you to mutually beneficial places.

The Solution

I already check my email regularly, so I created a bi-weekly email detailing now streaming content online. It's simple, takes very little time to scroll through, and most importantly I don't need to go anywhere: it comes to me.

Here's what I care about:

New shows, seasons, episodes, and movies
Episodes and movies that are expiring soon
New movie trailers on http://trailers.apple.com

Here's what I don't care about:

Reality TV
Soap Operas
News and talk shows

Here's what it supports:

Netflix
Hulu
Amazon Instant
Amazon Prime
CBS.com
HBOgo
MAXgo
Showtime Anywhere
Redbox Kiosks

New emails arrive every Tuesday and Friday evenings.

The Implementation

Here's what I got from this email:

I watched the "Always Woodstock" trailer
"The Tomorrow People" is now on Netflix
A couple female-oriented shows premiered on Hulu
New season of "Bob's Burgers" and "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" premiered
"Breathe In" is on Netflix Instant
"Carrie" remake is on Amazon Prime
HBOgo is about to remove "Ender's Game"

All that in about 15 seconds of scrolling.

Conclusion

I've been getting these emails for about a year, and it really helps keep me up-to-date on what's new, with minimal effort. The implementation wasn't easy, but the result (while not perfect) is simple.