Shazam Expands TV Tagging to 160 Channels

Shazam has announced a major expansion of its television companion service, officially known as Shazam for TV. The update brings television fans in the US access to audio recognition during practically any show on any channel. Shazam now has support for 160 channels, with the exception of some shows such as local news broadcasts or local paid advertising programs.

You may have seen the "Shazam for more" logo pop up on your television before. The popular app is also capable of tagging TV shows and ads at any time, right from your smartphone. So what information can Shazam deliver about your favorite program?

Shazam offers a variety of information depending on the TV program:

Featured music – Shazam has leveraged its rich music history and its 20+ million track database to identify the music featured in whatever people are watching
Cast information – the app will list the cast featured in the program, guest stars, as well as other shows they’ve been in
Trivia – fans can learn more about their favorite program and even read about the occasional goofs with the trivia feature in the app
Celebrity buzz – gives fans all the latest gossip about the show and the stars in it
Social sharing – live Twitter feeds as well as commenting in the app makes it fun to talk with your friends about what you’re watching
More information – convenient links to show-related information at IMDB, Wikipedia, and the official site for the show
Sports events – will include stats, scores and schedules instead of cast information

Shazam also announced it will be rolling out new social features for iOS and Android devices in the coming weeks. These include better integration with Facebook, as well as social sharing features with Twitter and Google+ directly in the mobile app.

Shazam has over 250 million users worldwide. With 86 percent of smartphone owners using their devices while watching TV, it looks like Shazam will only get more popular thanks to these new features.