Web app of the week: Can I Stream.It

With the number of providers con­tin­u­al­ly growing, the quest for the perfect movie streaming service is becoming more difficult; the wide choice of streaming services means it can take longer than ever for the consumer to decide which service is for them. This is ex­ac­er­bat­ed by the fact that the providers all offer a different range of films and TV series, which means that users who have already taken out a sub­scrip­tion to a service can lose out if they discover a service with a better selection.

The free search engine, Can I Stream It, was developed in order to prevent this from happening. With the help of useful search functions and filters (i.e. genres, payment plans, etc.) users can easily find out which streaming providers offer the films and series they want to watch, as well as how much they cost. The search results give consumers details about the files on offer, including video quality as well as which seasons are available, whether there is any free content, any known tele­vi­sion broad­cast­ing times, and whether the streamed video is also available to buy on DVD/Blu-ray. There’s also extra in­for­ma­tion for each film, including a synopsis, genre spec­i­fi­ca­tions, and cast and crew details.

You don’t need an account to find your perfect provider with Can I Stream It, although reg­is­tered users have more options with the web app. For example, reg­is­tered users can choose to be notified when specific films and series are available on their chosen platform, as well as share in­for­ma­tion about them on social media. Users can also choose to be notified by e-mail when changes are made to items on their watch list, for example, when they become available on a par­tic­u­lar streaming service, or if a new season or language option is available. 

To set up an account, simply select ‘Sign up now’ from the ‘Login’ drop-down menu in the upper right-hand corner, and provide your e-mail address and a password, or select ‘Log in with Facebook’.

Users can proceed to choose their preferred streaming service and activate the new account by simply clicking on the con­fir­ma­tion link in the e-mail.

Users now have access to the search engine as well as the site’s full range of functions. The image here gives an example of the avail­abil­i­ty of a par­tic­u­lar series with various providers. It also shows the following options: which seasons and episodes are available, which platforms they are available on, share options and a link to the show’s IMDB page, and a no­ti­fi­ca­tion option. No­ti­fi­ca­tions are listed under ‘Reminders’ in the top right-hand corner.