ABC News' New Apple TV Channel Showing Strong Live Video Usage

[MacRumors]

Roughly six weeks ago, ABC News launched a new Apple TV channel offering a wide range of live and on-demand content from both national and select local feeds. Based on the first 30 days of availability, ABC News has now put together an infographic that offers a look at how the channel is being used. Among the interesting observations:

- Live video usage on Apple TV, which accounts for 20 percent of channel views, is 50 percent higher than on mobile and desktop combined.

- Apple TV viewers spend 65 percent more time per visit than desktop users.

- Peak usage for the ABC News Apple TV channel falls at 9 PM Eastern Time, likely due to that time period encompassing evening viewing hours for most of the United States.

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Click for full infographic​

Alongside today's usage data release, ABC News is also announcing the addition of three new local stations to the channel: Albuquerque (KOAT), Boston (WCVB), and Honolulu (KITV). The new additions join the original nine local stations made available on the channel at launch.

Apple has been adding new channels to the Apple TV at a fairly rapid pace, at least in the United States, although many of them require authentication through an existing cable service provider. The company has long been rumored to be working on a more powerful set-top box, but the latest rumors have suggested the device is unlikely to arrive until 2015.

Article Link: ABC News' New Apple TV Channel Showing Strong Live Video Usage

 

[Locoboof]

A lot of ATV changes lately. I hope this means a new ATV announcement!

 

[BrockC]

These numbers should make the negotiations with service providers easier.

 

[iSRS]

Love that Dirty Water!

Yeah, Boston, you're my home!

Glad to see Channel 5 supported!

 

[furi0usbee]

A good start. If people could get live news with Apple TV, many people would cut their cable cord so fast.... I've always said, if I could just get a subscription for 7-10 channels and supplement that with iTunes Season Passes, that's all I would need

 

[HiVolt]

All this content is useless to anyone outside of the United States or without a cable/sat bill...

 

[scbn]

Fine. But the problem is, there aren't many interesting shows on ABC!

 

[xVeinx]

All this content is useless to anyone outside of the United States or without a cable/sat bill...

While unfortunate, it's a start. Maybe in time Apple will be able to garner enough interest from Canadian and European media to request access to the Apple TV...

 

[Aluminum213]

But Apple said the Apple TV was just a hobby

 

[SmileyBlast!]

I found that AOL channel streamed really well thanks to their new CDN.
It was almost instant and I have a really bad connection.

 

[Rogifan]

A good start. If people could get live news with Apple TV, many people would cut their cable cord so fast.... I've always said, if I could just get a subscription for 7-10 channels and supplement that with iTunes Season Passes, that's all I would need

When do we get ESPN Go without needing a cable/satellite subscription?

 

[jeffe]

Where is the source? I can't find this info graphic anywhere except Mac blogs.

 

[theOtherGeoff]

Fine. But the problem is, there aren't many interesting shows on ABC!

that's why the news is working out so well. They don't depend on the network shows leading them in.

I used to be a Koppel NightLine person, and now, there's pretty much nothing in the 10pm-Midnight range for 'real news' .


I often just turn on AppleTV/ABC News live feed at night as it's a lot better than a) the local news, and b) the cable THeads [I get it, I get it, Obama/Fox/Koch Brothers/MSNBC are in a protracted knife fight on TV]. It's a bit fluffy, but between it and Sky News and I get a pretty good picture of the day, without setting up a DVR for 'news' (if you're DVRing it... it's not 'New')

 

[thatisme]

I still don't understand the draw to these App channels. If you already have a cable / sat subscription then watch cable. Why would the standard over-the-air channels require a cable subscription? ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, WB, etc...

I watch only a handful of channels, but am required to buy multiple tiers on cable or DirecTV to get what I want to watch. On top of the over the air channels, I use ESPN, Velocity, Discovery, CNN, Fox News, MTV, Nick and the Golf Channel. ATv will show it's value when you don't need to already pay for service elsewhere and offer up a per-channel subscription independent of cable/sat. At $ 0.99 per month per channel, you could a-la-carte your viewing and I would suspect that a good percentage of users would be perfectly happy with that.

 

[ChrisCW11]

It's because watching TV on a computer is dumb, period

I mean this is not a win so much for Apple TV as these content providers realizing that putting news and TV show streaming on a website is, obviously, not as enjoyable for viewers then watching it on a TV.

I marvel at how the tweens these days are happy and content to watch TV on a small laptop or tablet screen, often not even at full screen but in a tiny window on their device. They will sit there and watch whole movies like that. I mean what a mediocre outlook for the future of video entertainment when the current generation of kids are growing up thinking its awesome to watch a movie in a 4" window. What are we going to have next, IMAX Micro because teens are too overwhelmed by massive visuals and want to squint in a movie theater because that is what they have become used to?

I know there are many scenarios where TV on a device makes sense, but I am talking about the idea that somehow people feel that their tablet or laptop is the "best" way to watch content.

What is good about this is two things, people want to cut their cord and watch content on-demand on their "favorite" set-top box, AND, they still want to watch TV content on an actual TV. Rather than waste time or money investing in making websites to stream content, focus on offering quality content on these set top boxes and start the push to move away from ridiculous $100/mth cable subscription rates.

 

[furi0usbee]

I mean this is not a win so much for Apple TV as these content providers realizing that putting news and TV show streaming on a website is, obviously, not as enjoyable for viewers then watching it on a TV.

I don't even own a TV nor have a cable subscription anymore. I am fine watching content on my 15" rMBP. Heck, I even have Netflix on my iPhone, and often fall asleep listening to something. So yeah, I don't need a 50" tv to see my content. Plus, watching 1920 x 1080 on a 50" TV looks like crap to me anyway, unless I'm 20 feet back. I'd prefer higher quality resolution on my 15".

 

[MrXiro]

All this content is useless to anyone outside of the United States or without a cable/sat bill...

Actually this is one of the few apps you don't need a cable log in for. Love ABC News app. They should put all the network streaming channels that are currently free like this. There is no reason not to. It's free to stream on the internet and this is a network device... it's literally one less step from my just airplaying ABC.com onto my Atv.

 

[rhett7660]

Now if we could get an update to the UI to make it easier to organize, delete, move etc the various channels!

I am liking the fact we are getting more and more channels thou...!

 

[Zaft]

I don't even own a TV nor have a cable subscription anymore. I am fine watching content on my 15" rMBP. Heck, I even have Netflix on my iPhone, and often fall asleep listening to something. So yeah, I don't need a 50" tv to see my content. Plus, watching 1920 x 1080 on a 50" TV looks like crap to me anyway, unless I'm 20 feet back. I'd prefer higher quality resolution on my 15".

crap? Kind of going overboard aren't we...

 

[TsMkLg068426]

Now if we could get an update to the UI to make it easier to organize, delete, move etc the various channels!

I am liking the fact we are getting more and more channels thou...!

You know the option of organizing and hiding apps does already exist, right? Not sure why people still can not figure out the use of it.

 

[hlfway2anywhere]

Now if we could get an update to the UI to make it easier to organize, delete, move etc the various channels!

I am liking the fact we are getting more and more channels thou...!

I mean... you can move and delete the channels with like two button presses. Not exactly a challenge. That being said, I agree that in general, the UI needs to be changed.

AppleTV needs Spotlight. Search for the show to see which apps offer it and which episodes they have, and then choose. No more searching in every app to see if they have it.

 

[TsMkLg068426]

I have pretty much all this channels on my cable sad part is only few apps my cable allows to authenticate the apps I still can not get HBO Go, would be just easier if they could just make it one time authentication for all apps I should be allowed to access through my cable maybe this will solve the HBO Go issue my cable company keeps telling us customers.

 

[gotluck]

I don't even own a TV nor have a cable subscription anymore. I am fine watching content on my 15" rMBP. Heck, I even have Netflix on my iPhone, and often fall asleep listening to something. So yeah, I don't need a 50" tv to see my content. Plus, watching 1920 x 1080 on a 50" TV looks like crap to me anyway, unless I'm 20 feet back. I'd prefer higher quality resolution on my 15".

the content is 1080p though...

 

[TallManNY]

Future

This is Apple's next big thing and it continues to just sit there in front of all of us. I've got three A TVs and I will be replacing one of them with Apple's next. They all get used at least once a week and the one in the main living room is the primary data source for viewing TV and Movies.

 

[unplugme71]

The thing that boggles my mind is that non-subscription based TV still requires a Cable Provider account.

I can understand things like HBO, SHO, etc. But why do local/free networks require it?