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Apple TV Universal Search Gains Support for 9 New Channels Including Food Network and HGTV

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Apple today added nine new channels to the universal search function on the fourth-generation Apple TV, introducing support for A&E, Cooking Channel, DIY, Food Network, FYI, HGTV, History, Lifetime, and Travel Channel.

For those unfamiliar with universal search, it's a feature that allows users to conduct Siri voice searches or text-based searches to find TV and movie content across a wide range of channels. At launch, universal search only supported a few channels, but Apple has been rapidly expanding the feature to encompass additional channels.

apple_tv_hgtv_search-800x434.jpg

Apple maintains a dedicated support document providing Apple TV owners with a full list of content that can be found via Siri using universal search. Unfortunately, universal search is an option largely limited to the United States. In most other countries, only iTunes content is currently supported, while Netflix is also supported in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

Article Link: Apple TV Universal Search Gains Support for 9 New Channels Including Food Network and HGTV
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/06/21/apple-tv-universal-search-9-new-channels/
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I like that they are adding more to the search. I don't like that they are doing it ad hoc like this, where Apple seems to be selecting which apps can have the special access. I would rather apple give developers an API to use.
 
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It's nice that Apple is adding this feature, but really... content is what it needs.

Give me an easy way to just access the channels I want without paying for dozens of channels that I don't want.
 
Why is there seemingly no interest in a decent EPG on the Apple TV?
That is the hub of any TV watching in the UK... a complete EPG of all available channels integrated with one-click recording functionality.
 
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That's great but Apple also needs to add the ones with a live stream (Cooking Channel, DIY, Food Network, HGTV, and Travel Channel) to the Live Tune-In feature.
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
It's nice that Apple is adding this feature, but really... content is what it needs.

Give me an easy way to just access the channels I want without paying for dozens of channels that I don't want.
Click to expand...

I think if Apple could do that they would. But so many channels are basically controlled by:

1. Time Warner
2. 21st Century Fox
3. Disney (with Hearst in some instances)
4. Comcast
5. Scripts Network Interactive
6. Discovery Communications

All of of these companies insist on bundling in the crap for the rights to broadcast the channels people actually want to watch. However, Disney has said it would consider letting people subscribe to ESPN a la carte. That's the most expensive property in cable TV so if that happens expect the damn to break. But my guess is that the sum of the individual channels would be more expensive than current bundling regime and going to an a la carte system will not be less expensive. Kind of like how airlines started charging for checked luggage to "lower fares."
 
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x-evil-x said:
There needs to be a workaround to skip commercial
Click to expand...
That depends entirely on the content provider - the network who wrote the app and supplied the programming. If they don't want you to be able to skip commercials, then you can't - take this up with the network, not Apple.

(Likewise for purchasing channels à la carte - Apple would love to offer this, has tried to work out deals, but it's entirely up to the networks, and at least some of them are scared of "the bad things that iTunes did to the music industry" - when in reality iTunes gave the record companies a way to keep making lots of money, instead of having Napster/etc. bring them down entirely - sure, they want a return to the good old days, of being completely in control of all music and skiing down enormous piles of cash, but that simply isn't an option any more. iTunes didn't start the change, the fad of looting music on the Internet did, and then Steve Jobs looked at the music executives and said, "Come with me if you want to live!")

I'd be more interested in the long-rumored "Apple bundle of channels", which would make the Apple TV even that much more compelling, but I gave up waiting a while back, cut the cord, and now just use Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube (and occasionally iTunes) for my TV watching needs (also got an HDTV antenna, that gets used perhaps once a week) - pretty happy with this setup.
 
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Yet another dozen "USA only" channels added to Siri. Great if you are American, completely useless for anyone else.

Netflix is the only non USA Siri supported channel which is embarrassing.

If Apple doesn't want to add the Siri support, why not open it to 3rd parties like they did on iOS?
 
I have been using the universal search a little more on my ATV4.

It is a weird thing, sometimes I love it, other times, I find it to be useless.

It has gotten better, but sometimes the search doesn't find any results on things that should have results.
 
Drzed said:
Yet another dozen "USA only" channels added to Siri. Great if you are American, completely useless for anyone else.

Netflix is the only non USA Siri supported channel which is embarrassing.

If Apple doesn't want to add the Siri support, why not open it to 3rd parties like they did on iOS?
Click to expand...


You do know it up to the networks/content providers to WANT Apple to add Siri functionality right?
 
oneMadRssn said:
I like that they are adding more to the search. I don't like that they are doing it ad hoc like this, where Apple seems to be selecting which apps can have the special access. I would rather apple give developers an API to use.
Click to expand...
It's not as hoc, it's as the media conglomerates adopt support. All of these channels are owned by either A&E Networks or Scripps. Every time they add channels they've been groups that are owned be the same conglomerate.
[doublepost=1466562310][/doublepost]
CarlJ said:
That depends entirely on the content provider - the network who wrote the app and supplied the programming. If they don't want you to be able to skip commercials, then you can't - take this up with the network, not Apple.

(Likewise for purchasing channels à la carte - Apple would love to offer this, has tried to work out deals, but it's entirely up to the networks, and at least some of them are scared of "the bad things that iTunes did to the music industry" - when in reality iTunes gave the record companies a way to keep making lots of money, instead of having Napster/etc. bring them down entirely - sure, they want a return to the good old days, of being completely in control of all music and skiing down enormous piles of cash, but that simply isn't an option any more. iTunes didn't start the change, the fad of looting music on the Internet did, and then Steve Jobs looked at the music executives and said, "Come with me if you want to live!")

I'd be more interested in the long-rumored "Apple bundle of channels", which would make the Apple TV even that much more compelling, but I gave up waiting a while back, cut the cord, and now just use Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube (and occasionally iTunes) for my TV watching needs (also got an HDTV antenna, that gets used perhaps once a week) - pretty happy with this setup.
Click to expand...
You could look into PlayStation Vue, it doesn't have an Apple TV app, but you can use the login to access all of the cable network apps.
 
Creek0512 said:
It's not as hoc, it's as the media conglomerates adopt support. All of these channels are owned by either A&E Networks or Scripps. Every time they add channels they've been groups that are owned be the same conglomerate.
Click to expand...

Not to get into a big semantics argument, but that is pretty much the definition of ad hoc.
 
I want Siri to be able to search my local movie library for the name and tags in them - that would be the most useful thing ever for my ATV4. Well, that along with not having to painfully scroll through a large list of movies by downswiping - why can't they add the letters of the alphabet and allow you to jump to the names like contacts works?
 
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apple "rapidly expanding the feature", not in the UK they are not!

There have been zero additions to the service since launch... but then most of the UK on demand services are still not on the apple TV anyway - so what's the point?
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BMcCoy said:
Why is there seemingly no interest in a decent EPG on the Apple TV?
That is the hub of any TV watching in the UK... a complete EPG of all available channels integrated with one-click recording functionality.
Click to expand...

not an EPG as such, we need a personal planner, where all the shows we "like" within other apps are all stored in a simple list, then linking through to different seasons at a touch of a button or swipe, together with suggestions of other stuff you may like.. you can then see and play the content direct from the planner, without needing to navigate through different apps.

The future is not apps apple, the future is convenience of use and access to content.

Not everyone likes to talk to their TV anyway apple... the thing with a TV is you have a big screen where you should be able to "SEE" and navigate the content as well.
 
My biggest problem is that cable or satellite is required for all of these, which means having them on Apple TV is superfluous at best. Not Apple's fault, it's the agreements these channels have with cable/sat providers. But it renders the whole benefit rather moot for cable-cutters.
 
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too bad we couldn't gain the ability to fast forward like we can on our dvrs. Seems pointless to sit through commercials when we can watch them taped and fast forward through them. But yes not apples fault.
Still should be a way for paying customers with the app to download the show and have that ability just like on a dvr.
 
nightcap965 said:
My biggest problem is that cable or satellite is required for all of these, which means having them on Apple TV is superfluous at best. Not Apple's fault, it's the agreements these channels have with cable/sat providers. But it renders the whole benefit rather moot for cable-cutters.
Click to expand...

Not entirely. I am what I call a "box cutter." With the combination of ATV and iOS/OS X + Airplay I've replaced all but one of my cable boxes with Gen 3 or 4 ATVs. That cut $20/mo off my bill right there. In less than a year the ATVs "paid" for themselves.
[doublepost=1466597607][/doublepost]
x-evil-x said:
too bad we couldn't gain the ability to fast forward like we can on our dvrs. Seems pointless to sit through commercials when we can watch them taped and fast forward through them. But yes not apples fault.
Still should be a way for paying customers with the app to download the show and have that ability just like on a dvr.
Click to expand...

It's the same with cable "on demand," which is essentially what ATV is - an on demand box. With cable companies you have to pay an extra fee to DVR programming. ATV doesn't offer DVR service, but I'm sure they will and when they do it won't be free. The content providers won't allow it.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
I think if Apple could do that they would. But so many channels are basically controlled by:

1. Time Warner
2. 21st Century Fox
3. Disney (with Hearst in some instances)
4. Comcast
5. Scripts Network Interactive
6. Discovery Communications

All of of these companies insist on bundling in the crap for the rights to broadcast the channels people actually want to watch. However, Disney has said it would consider letting people subscribe to ESPN a la carte. That's the most expensive property in cable TV so if that happens expect the damn to break. But my guess is that the sum of the individual channels would be more expensive than current bundling regime and going to an a la carte system will not be less expensive. Kind of like how airlines started charging for checked luggage to "lower fares."
Click to expand...
It is inherently monopolistic for cable and satellite companies to also own content production. Comcast should not have been allowed to by NBC.
 
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