I usually don’t let me kids spend a lot of time watching television but the rules tend to bend a little when they are home all day (holidays, no school, sick day). Unfortunately three kids and one television can lead to a few disagreements. There’s a Shaw GO App for that.
With the free Shaw GO YTV and Shaw GO Treehouse apps, subscribers can now access their kid’s favourite TV shows when and where they want. My two oldest loved the YTV app, where they can catch episodes of iCarly and Scaredy Squirrel but my youngest also enjoyed Peppa Pig and Are We There Yet on the Treehouse app.
The Shaw GO YTV and Shaw GO Treehouse apps offer a few features both parents and kids will love:
Tutorial. Before starting the app a quick tutorial plays illustrating on the app screen how to get started though if your kids are like mine they’ll have it sorted out without clicking through the tutorial. Even if you skip this stage, the tutorial is easy to replay in the settings should you be stuck on how to find a favourite show or play full screen. Which brings me to the second feature.
Intuitive Navigation. I love that both apps are designed with kids in mind, making it a tool they can use on their own without mom and dad’s involvement. The navigation for each app is also age appropriate. The Treehouse app is very visual based, having them scroll through large images of show icons and individual episodes appearing underneath.
As YTV tends to speak to a slightly older audience, the navigation is a little more sophisticated, giving viewers the ability to view show options in a number of ways: show versus episode list, grid versus list view, category view, plus a general search tool.
Easy Show Search. Both the Shaw Go YTV and Treehouse apps give users the ability to search for a specific show or key word. This is great if your child is interested in a theme that may be carried across multiple shows, such as finding all episodes with a Christmas theme or shows that deal with school as a subject.
Parental Controls. Giving the kids the ability to control their own viewing experience not only empowers them but also frees up your time as a parent. But this only works if you are comfortable with what the kids are accessing. Although the programming on Treehouse is geared to the preschooler, YTV’s older child programming may not be something you want your youngest child watching. If this is a concern you can turn on parental controls (defaults Off) and select TV ratings from C (children 2-7), C8/C8+ (children 8+), and G (general audiences).
Multiple Devices. Although the kids mainly use iPads for their entertainment and apps, the Shaw GO Treehouse and YTV apps are available on iOS and Android devices. This means with one account my daughter can watch a show on her iPad or catch it on my Android phone. Having flexibility is key when it comes to apps in our home.
Multiple Viewers. I love that even with one account my three kids can watch different shows at the same time as long as they have the app installed on their device. Now having one television in the house becomes a non-issue. It also means the television is available for programming that I might enjoy, something other than Dora or Spongebob Square Pants.
WiFi Only Feature. Although my kids love the idea of taking TV To-Go, and these Shaw GO apps are perfect for that, unless you are on WiFi your allowable data usage can quickly be depleted or cost you extra. The default setting ensures that the apps are only used when the device is logged in to a wifi account. No need to worry about my youngest calling up Dora on the three-hour car ride to my mom’s house. However the Show GO apps mean she can watch her Dora episode when connected to my mom’s wifi at her house. Being able to bring YTV and Treehouse programming with us is also a great feature when traveling in Canada. Now inappropriate programming on hotel televisions isn’t a concern.
Those days when you had to schedule your life around a show that appeared on your television in the living room seem to be a thing of the past. Although you won’t find all the Treehouse or YTV programs on the apps (which probably isn’t a bag thing), there are a great variety of favourite programs available on the apps to entertain the kids at home or out and about. Technology like Shaw Go YTV and Shaw GO Treehouse apps make entertaining the kids just a little bit easier.
This post was sponsored by Shaw but the opinion and experience are completely my own.