Qewd, an app by a company of the same name, launched last month and is currently in beta testing.
The brainchild of Zak Kadison, a Studio City resident, and Robert Beadle, who lives in Encino, Qewd is currently an all-virtual company.
Its platform, also called Qewd, is a search engine that makes it easier to find movies, TV series and short form videos to watch, according to a release from the company.
The release said that Qewd solves a problem plaguing about 100 million Americans on a daily basis – the simple act of figuring out what to watch.
The average consumer spends nearly an hour each day searching for content to view – or up to 50% of their total watch time, the release said.
The free app, available on both Android and Apple mobile devices, gives viewers recommendations on what to watch from people and sources they trust.
The company plans to make money through advertising, partnerships, possible subscriptions for premium services and affiliate fees.
According to the release, Qewd is like a concierge that offers suggestions about what to watch and is also a personal assistant that lets users bookmark content, access and watch all of their streaming services, plus live free TV, with one click.
Kadison, the company’s chief executive, said that people have unlimited entertainment choices, but limited time to view them.
“And 76% of people say the best recommendations come from word-of-mouth,” Kadison said in a statement. “Qewd addresses this, making it easy to discover what your friends, family, trusted influencers and favorite brands are recommending.”
Consumer Reports named Qewd among the “Best Apps for Finding Where Shows and Movies Are Streaming” in an article published last month.
In the article, reporter James K. Willcox went through all that he liked about the app and mentioned one downside.
“Like other apps, Qewd keeps track of what you watch and like so that it can recommend movies and shows it thinks you’ll like,” Willcox wrote.
“But to get recommendations from family and friends for the “What Your Friends Are Watching” section, you’ll have to share access to your contacts with Qewd — something we imagine not everyone will be comfortable doing,” he added.
Calling itself the “ultimate streaming companion,” Qewd also publishes a blog on its site that offers readers curated collections of viewing suggestions, such as films starring Antonion Banderas, or the five best Alfred Hitchcock films.
Qewd board members include Dominique Delport, former international president of Vice Media.