Shazam app now helps identify TV shows and ads

With music recognition apps like Shazam, you are spared from Googling bits and pieces of lyric from a song you catch on TV or hear on the radio in the hope that it will lead to its full title and artist. Not just identifying the song, the app also lets you stream preview and even buy the song – if it’s available digitally.

It’s obvious that the magic-like features struck a chord with many, as Shazam recently reported that it has over 250,000 users. The app developers are now branching out Shazam to recognize TV shows and ads.

The next time you find yourself intrigued by a scene on the small screen, simply whip out Shazam and tag the show. You’ll instantly get information about the program, the actors and actresses (straight from IMDB), the latest tweets and headline news relating to it, and more. Naturally, you’ll also get a list of music that’s featured on the show.

Of the affinity that many have for the app, Shazam Chief Revenue Officer Doug Garland said that aside from the “amazing degree of utility”, users also “think it’s magical”. In the case of the added functionality, magic really means having the company’s many servers scan and fingerprint content from 160 channels in America on a real-time basis, which should result in a pretty complete database of TV programs for all your tagging needs.

If you haven’t already done so, check out the new functionality of Shazam app and let us know what you think of it in the comments below.