ABC News Comes to Apple TV with Live and On-Demand Video, Local News, and Historical Footage [Updated]

[LethalWolfe]

Why does Apple always ignore international customers?

I understand sometimes the limitation is the content provider, and not Apple, but in Music, Movies/TV Shows and Books (three of their top markets), they really lack in the international market.

Because each new country/territory is a new round of negotiations. If Apple (or Hulu or Netflix or Amazon, etc.,) wants to offer Movie XYZ in the US, Germany and Australia that requires three separate negotiations and three separate licensing fees. The same goes for TV shows, books, magazines, music, etc.,.

That takes time and money. Netflix, for example, is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to to expand more into Europe and they've warned their investors to expect a drop in profit for the near term.

 

[johncarync]

TV needs a total revamp

The problem I see is that there's too many choices. I have hundreds of cable channels--too much to scan through. AppleTV has a bunch of little icons with text under them that take you more icons with text under them--too much trouble.

I want my TV to do facial recognition of who is sitting in front of it and give me choices based on my likes.

"Oh, it's just John sitting in front of me? I'll let him choose between Bar Rescue, these new shows about cars, and this documentary on WWII."
---
"Just Margaret sitting in front of me? Here's the latest drama and horror movie releases."
---
"John and Margaret watching TV together? The newest 'Whose Line is it Anyway' and 'Walking Dead' is cued up and ready to go."

 

[man3ster]

Amz

Me want amazon instant video

 

[mattopotamus]

Me want amazon instant video

Never going to happen now that there is fireTV.

 

[Populism]

A lot of negative comments about this news. How is the Apple TV situation/future made worse with ABC News being available on it?

If your beef is with the interface or the lack of app store or the like, there's a litany of threads on those. As for the international issue, there seem to be a lot of people here who know the legalities and the contracts that were necessary for this deal, and how easily those deals/laws/rules avail themselves to international broadcast.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Why does Apple always ignore international customers?

I understand sometimes the limitation is the content provider, and not Apple, but in Music, Movies/TV Shows and Books (three of their top markets), they really lack in the international market.

Apple. There is more to the world than just the USA!

I'm very certain Cricket is of very little interest to the vast majority of the U.S. population, yet, Apple added an all Cricket channel. Your theory/complaint was invalid even before you typed it.

Yes, Apple does not control any of the TV and movie content. They have to get licensing deals. Here's a little tidbit on why BBC has no interested in being on Apple TV... yes, BBC rejects Apple. So go look for the problem inside your own countries rather than conveniently blaming Apple.

 

[macduke]

RT as in the Russian propaganda channel?

The integrity of their content surpasses most media outlets in the United States.

Just so everyone is clear, I'm not a fan of Russia at all. The above statement is more of an "it's sad but true" type of thing. Our media has gone down the tubes and now people have to rely on channels like RT that aren't constantly pumping out fluff and entertainment stories. There at least seems to be some semblance of reporting and/or investigation happening at RT. But like all media, don't trust just one source. Go out there and explore the important issues for yourself.

--

I'm really interested to know where Apple is going with this now. At first it seemed like adding all these channels was more of an exploratory thing. They were testing the waters, gathering partners, etc. Now it's a fairly solid platform. But why do they keep adding them bit by bit like this? We need a channel store where we can add what we want. They also need to overhaul the UI. The remote is fairly clunky to use, especially the iOS remote where you always scroll past the content you're trying to select—sometimes multiple times. It all seems quite dated and heavy. Luckily it's not something we have to use all the time—unless you're a couch potato!

 

[Glasgreat]

Exactly what we want here in the UK.

 

[kds1]

So many pointless channels if Apple was smart by now they would have added Amazon Prime or their own movie streaming service to compete with Amazon Prime, heck I still can not get HBO Go on Apple TV because my Cable Charter Communications tells me it is them.

Why not just add other free Movie streaming channels there are some that stream with no Ads not that it is better than Crackle or add Showtime Anytime, Cinemax Go and Starz Play, yes I know those are with cable subscription but those channels have something to watch.

Hopefully the deal with Beats maybe can help out Apple to have better music streaming like Spotify format or Amazon Prime Music instead this Pandora crap format that is dying already.

Vudu will never happen because iTunes store is the same thing and competition other than the streaming quality on Vudu might be higher I doubt we would ever see a major competing company on Apple TV, as for Amazon Prime possible but Apple and Amazon need to find central deal of how the App can work like on the iPhone and problem is Amazon has their own version of Apple TV it might be too late to add it best move for Apple would be have their own streaming movies like Amazon Prime.

Why not add free movie channels with no ads? Who is going to pay for it? You don't want ads? You pay, like Netflix. You don't want to pay? You get old movies and Crackle (and Crackle isn't bad. I've watched a couple old movies on there, and the movies are uncut).

Amazon is never going to be on AppleTV. Even if it was Prime movies only, it's not happening. You can AirPlay Amazon Rental and Prime movies to your AppleTv from your iPhone/iPad. I do it all the time.

Vudu has a ****** collection of movies. It's owned by WalMart and they aren't exactly daring with their movies in terms of independent and international cinema, which Netflix is really good at (and even Amazon, or hell Hulu for that matter).

Oh and Pandora? It's not crap. I like Pandora (and iTunes Radio when it is behaving) because it's like a radio station. I don't have to click play for ever track or create a playlist, I just listen and let it play songs for me. Sometimes that's all you want to do, is just kick back and let the music play and be surprised by what comes up. It's something entirely different from On Demand services (and Beats has both on demand, and radio, PLUS curated playlists).

 

[Eduardo1971]

News you can't trust, just a click away!

What? Fox 'news' was not mentioned as a new Apple TV channel.

 

[JoeShades]

A lot of negative comments about this news. How is the Apple TV situation/future made worse with ABC News being available on it?

If your beef is with the interface or the lack of app store or the like, there's a litany of threads on those. As for the international issue, there seem to be a lot of people here who know the legalities and the contracts that were necessary for this deal, and how easily those deals/laws/rules avail themselves to international broadcast.

every time apple tv adds more channels it ends up being pages of complaints, if they add an app store there still will be complaints for pages about something, that's the way people are

 

[Virtua1]

Confirmed Free - Cable Subscription Not Needed...

... Moment of Yay...

Cable Subscription NOT needed. Glad this is actual free newscasts tailored to regional areas. It may not be full live (that I've seen yet, someone may find differently), but it is recent enough to be relevant. As far as I'm concerned, this is great, since:

When the benevolent FCC gave all the broadcast networks a deadline and a mandate to convert to digital, they forgot to make it mandatory that the same AREA be covered with the new signal. So people who used to get signal, don't now.

Since then I've learned to go without TV pretty much completely, and while the news is nothing I couldn't get online, it might be nice to have on in the background in the mornings or during, for instance, dinner prep.

Movements like this will help make up the deficit a bit. Kudos ABC and Apple.

 

[kds1]

The integrity of their content surpasses most media outlets in the United States.

Just so everyone is clear, I'm not a fan of Russia at all. The above statement is more of an "it's sad but true" type of thing. Our media has gone down the tubes and now people have to rely on channels like RT that aren't constantly pumping out fluff and entertainment stories. There at least seems to be some semblance of reporting and/or investigation happening at RT. But like all media, don't trust just one source. Go out there and explore the important issues for yourself.

RT has no integrity whatsoever. You've GOT to be kidding. It's a state owned Kremlin propaganda machine. Yeah, CNN and FOX are crap, but you can watch SkyNews on your AppleTV, and WSJ Live, plus you can watch NHK World, you can watch France24, you can watch Deutsch Welle (the latter three of which can be streamed via AirPlay to your AppleTV), and if you do have cable, you can watch BBC World. Plus there's BBC World Service radio.

P.S. CNN International is better than CNN U.S.

 

[TsMkLg068426]

Why not add free movie channels with no ads? Who is going to pay for it? You don't want ads? You pay, like Netflix. You don't want to pay? You get old movies and Crackle (and Crackle isn't bad. I've watched a couple old movies on there, and the movies are uncut).

Amazon is never going to be on AppleTV. Even if it was Prime movies only, it's not happening. You can AirPlay Amazon Rental and Prime movies to your AppleTv from your iPhone/iPad. I do it all the time.

Vudu has a ****** collection of movies. It's owned by WalMart and they aren't exactly daring with their movies in terms of independent and international cinema, which Netflix is really good at (and even Amazon, or hell Hulu for that matter).

Oh and Pandora? It's not crap. I like Pandora (and iTunes Radio when it is behaving) because it's like a radio station. I don't have to click play for ever track or create a playlist, I just listen and let it play songs for me. Sometimes that's all you want to do, is just kick back and let the music play and be surprised by what comes up. It's something entirely different from On Demand services (and Beats has both on demand, and radio, PLUS curated playlists).

You know there are streaming sites like SNAG that stream movies free with no ads and legal right? You would think Netflix is perfect but almost but most movies on Netflix could be found on sites like on SNAG Films for free, yeah Netflix is so great you know what is Netflix problem? They create this excuse how it is Studios not allowing to stream specific movies or TV Shows in most parts true but at the same time Netflix does not feel the need to spend money for licensing.

 

[harrissjt]

Really? You don't think adding a portal for the acquisition of custom applications is complicated?

1. What kind of resource limitations must developers conform to?
2. What resolution should they use?
3. In what ways can the user interact?
4. How can existing apps be ported to the Apple TV?
5. Will apps be stored locally or streamed?
6. How will users manage a flood of apps on the home screen?

Some of these questions may seem to have obvious answers, but nothing is obvious once you get into actual implementation and all assumptions must be reconsidered. And these questions are barely scratching the surface.

Look, I'm really looking forward to an App Store on my Apple TV too, but let's not denigrate all the hard work required to make it happen (probably already years in the making) just because we want it. As much as Apple makes it seem so, this stuff isn't just magic.

I have an Android box which does all of this. It has 16GB of RAM for the apps, and the apps come straight from Google Play.

It has LAN, USB ports, wifi, bluetooth, and an SD card reader for connectivity.

I can download the apps I want to use, the games I want to play, and consume media the way I want. It's a great device, and I hate myself more than you can know.

If Apple were to bring out a new ATV that could match this, I'd buy it in a heartbeat. But until then, I'll stick with my cheap little Android box, and let a little piece of my soul die every time I use it.

 

[Virtua1]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuban Missles View Post
Do I need a cable subscription for this or is this finally a free channel?

i'm sure that thousands of people can't wait to go to work daily to make TV for you to watch for free

Best of Both Worlds - ish?
It seems to be supported by a few ads. Free for people who want it, able to support employees for those who produce it.

 

[ZacNicholson]

You allow ant more channels? Buy an Apple TV 2, jailbreak it, install xbmc, then the package navix or mashup and you'll have close to 100 free channels. Oh and those who want an App Store, you can play games on a jailbroken Apple TV. Simple solution for all of you who are bitching and moaning about it. Have a nice day

 

[elgrecomac]

Well...

I got rid of my ATV on eBay about a 8 months ago and still have no regrets. My ATT Uverse-based TV has access to 450 channels, my pad and phone have access to a ton of content via HBO, Showtime et al apps plus ATT's app and my blu-ray provides access to bunch of content...

So, please, someone, anyone, explain why I will ever need an ATV? So I can stream my itunes contents? If thats the only reason, that ain't enough ...especially since I don't like closed ecosystems.



----------

What? Fox 'news' was not mentioned as a new Apple TV channel.

The reason it was not mentioned is that 'Fox' and 'News' in the same sentence is an oxymoron. Now, on the other hand, if it were titled Fox's 5 Talking Points for Today Assigned by Roger Ailes", well then, it would not be an oxymoron.

 

[iHamish]

Still waiting for the CW Network to appear on the Apple TV. This was announced in May 2013 and I suspect it's never going to see the light of day. I'd be happy to be proven wrong...

 

[TsMkLg068426]

Still waiting for the CW Network to appear on the Apple TV. This was announced in May 2013 and I suspect it's never going to see the light of day. I'd be happy to be proven wrong...

Not that CW is my favorite Network but I sometimes just want to catch up with Supernatural and Arrow Netflix just takes forever.

 

[LethalWolfe]

You know there are streaming sites like SNAG that stream movies free with no ads and legal right? You would think Netflix is perfect but almost but most movies on Netflix could be found on sites like on SNAG Films for free, yeah Netflix is so great you know what is Netflix problem? They create this excuse how it is Studios not allowing to stream specific movies or TV Shows in most parts true but at the same time Netflix does not feel the need to spend money for licensing.

SNAG isn't even remotely comparable to Netflix and how can you say Netflix doesn't feel the need to spend money on licensing when they are spending billions of dollars a year on licensing content?

 

[PocketSand11]

You allow ant more channels? Buy an Apple TV 2, jailbreak it, install xbmc, then the package navix or mashup and you'll have close to 100 free channels. Oh and those who want an App Store, you can play games on a jailbroken Apple TV. Simple solution for all of you who are bitching and moaning about it. Have a nice day

Yeah, but they're all trash channels. I installed XMBC on my Apple TV 1. Waste of time. I'll jailbreak when they add something useful like an HDCP disabler so it'll actually work with all HDMI-capable TVs.

 

[bpeeps]

Apple. There is more to the world than just the USA!

USA companies typically release things to their native country first. Not a difficult concept.

 

[Hungry&Foolish]

Hi,

May I know what channel is provided in Apple TV to watch Cricket? Are there any subscription options available. Please let me know.

Thanks

Willow TV is the official broadcaster of cricket in the US and Canada and requires a $14.99 subscription.

 

[kerrikins]

How about stop adding loads of random channels (which barely anybody uses) and give us an Apple TV App Store!?

That way, lots more developers and broadcasters can create channels and users can pick and choose which they have installed on their Apple TV.

I wouldn't be surprised if doing it this way has given Apple more revenue. If they just add the app store they don't gain any more money than they do from you watching it on your iPhone.