TiVo, Netflix and Hulu have buddied up with social-media powerhouse Facebook to make it even easier for people to flaunt their TV and movie watching habits.
Hulu's integration with Facebook will let users see what their friends are currently watching on the video site, popping up a video player to let them instantly watch the same TV show or movie.
TiVo, meanwhile, plans to update its iPhone and iPad apps to provide tighter integration with Facebook that will allow users to see programs their friends indicate they "like," as well as which programs their friends are currently watching. Using the TiVo iPad and iPhone apps, they can then schedule a DVR recording or tune in live based on those recommendations.
"With this improved Facebook integration, TiVo users can discover things to watch from the new social guide, and can feature their entertainment experiences and choices with their friends," TiVo vice president and general manager of product marketing Jim Denney said in a statement.
TiVo said the enhanced integration with Facebook will launch on its iPhone and iPad apps later this year.
For its part, Netflix will introduce feature to let subscribers share videos and DVDs they've recently watched with their friends -- but it will be available only in Canada and 43 Latin American and Caribbean countries.
In the U.S., a privacy law barring video-rental companies from sharing customers' selections prevents Netflix from introducing the feature, CEO Reed Hastings said at the Facebook event Thursday.
The companies made the announcements at Facebook's f8 developers conference Thursday, where the social website touted a new real-time linking feature aimed at letting people share media. For example, Facebook announced a partnership with music service Spotify to let users share playlists and listen to the same songs their friends are at the same time.
