In an effort to bring TV closer to search, Google is now including specific information regarding popular TV shows within its knowledge graph. This edge towards bringing TV and search together has been in development for a while now, with the end goal of providing the user with the relevant information they seek right from the search page.
Breaking Bad in the Knowledge Graph
A lot of TV programs have been added to Google’s Knowledge Graph, noticeably the popular American AMC show “Breaking Bad”. As some will know, this show has recently had its conclusive episode, with the data added to the Knowledge Graph. A Google search for “Breaking Bad TV show” displays this following Knowledge Graph within the natural search results to the right of the website listings:
Google’s Interactive Knowledge Graph
As you can see from the above example, Google’s Knowledge Graph is built up from content pulled from around the web. Specifically for TV shows, IMDb and TV.com snippets have been pulled as these are two much sought authorities that people use when looking for reviews/information on TV shows and movies. Aside from the review sites, content has also been pulled from Wikipedia and links to relevant searches and cast pages can be found within the Knowledge Graph. These are all clickable and take you to different pages around the web for more detailed information.
But why Google?
It’s not just Breaking Bad that’s been included within the Knowledge Graph, a multitude of currently running shows and shows that have finished have been added. For TV programmes that have concluded (like Breaking Bad) you get the first air date and last air date of the episodes as well as a list of episodes. For shows that are still running, you get slightly differing snippets, most of which include the first episode air date.
This whole movement helps users searching in Google find their necessary snippets of information from the search results without having to click through to any website, also being show the direct paths to specific information the user is looking for. It’s in an effort to increase the user experience when searching on Google by reducing the time and clicks it takes to find the information the user is looking for. TV shows are becoming more and more digital, with social media marketing playing a large part in this. What other shows have you found appearing in Google’s Knowledge Graph?
