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Apr 12, 2001
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BBC's iPlayer app received an update this morning that is fueling speculation online that Apple's TV app will hit U.K. shores imminently.

iPlayer's changelog for version 4.35.0 of the app simply lists "support for the new Apple TV app, available to users with devices running iOS 11.2 and above".

Apple's TV app - billed as an easy way to watch your favorite movies and TV shows in a single place - has been available in the United States since December of 2016, but remains absent from Apple TVs and iOS devices in the United Kingdom and across the rest of Europe.

In September, Apple released the Apple TV app in Canada and Australia, and announced that it would be bringing the app to France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, and the U.K. by the end of the year.

Screen-Shot-4-800x440.jpg

The BBC's mention is just the latest indication that the TV app should make an appearance very soon, in the U.K. at least.

Channel 5 was another British broadcaster Apple said it would be adding to its TV app, and last week the My5 app began appearing on Apple TVs. On Tuesday, ITV announced its ITV Hub was available on Apple TV, while Wednesday saw the global rollout of Amazon Prime Video on Apple TV, which also supports the native TV app.

Article Link: BBC iPlayer Update Hints at Imminent Release of Apple's TV App in the UK
 

tjhilder

macrumors regular
Jun 10, 2009
141
49
Kent, UK
Just need 4oD and then I can ditch my amazon stick and buy Apple TV

and the NOW TV app to get a much needed update too, it’s pretty much been forgotten about, every other service seems to get an update on a regular basis but nothing since the Apple TV 4 was released, I’ve been using the LG TV app because although it’s not as fast, but it has a better interface.
 

Hermes Monster

macrumors 65816
May 4, 2010
1,204
552
UK
and the NOW TV app to get a much needed update too, it’s pretty much been forgotten about, every other service seems to get an update on a regular basis but nothing since the Apple TV 4 was released, I’ve been using the LG TV app because although it’s not as fast, but it has a better interface.

I don’t think it even got an update for the 4, it’s pretty much a straight port of the version from the 3
 

MrGimper

macrumors G3
Sep 22, 2012
8,436
11,673
Andover, UK
aTV is the one device I really would have to shoe-horn into my life. I have a 4K OLED Smart TV, an XBox One X, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Plex. I can't see where I would use it.
 

Purple Pear

macrumors newbie
Jan 25, 2017
22
7
UK
Glad they are adding TV App support...

Not at home to test myself, does this update add Siri Universal Search and/or 'Top Shelf' integration too? Was always a little surprised BBC did not support those earlier..
 
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Mike Oxard

macrumors 6502a
Oct 22, 2009
804
458
It'd be nice if they released a version that worked on the older AppleTV's too, like Amazon did with the prime video app.
 

ap60019

macrumors newbie
Dec 8, 2016
4
6
South West, England
This has definitely been a good week for the Apple TV in the U.K.

I would like to point out though that I think the BBC were ready to support the Apple TV far earlier than this. I wrote a year ago that it looked like the Beeb were integrated with the Apple TV system - https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...le-tv-users-iplayer-universal-search.2020462/ - and if you search for QI now, that’s exactly what still turns up.

Doubtless Apple have had to poke and prod other providers (ITV and Amazon mainly) to support the Apple TV, and the delay has allowed for a big launch like we’ve seen today.

The good news in all this is that the Apple TV App will push all providers to integrate better with platforms like this. People will complain once everything is available in one app apart from one thing (or at the moment, C4, UKTV, and sports). A big move in the right direction!
 
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justperry

macrumors G5
Aug 10, 2007
12,553
9,745
I'm a rolling stone.
Meanwhile in (most of) Europe an AppleTv is worthless, no such thing here as Tv providers having an App on AppleTv.
Bought one last year, it's never on, 'worthless piece of crap where I reside'.
 

Reason077

macrumors 68040
Aug 14, 2007
3,585
3,521
Is iPlayer still "SD" only on the Apple TV?

I haven't tried it for ages (my Apple TV is sitting in storage!), but my LG TV's iPlayer app - or the web iPlayer for that matter - used to get much higher quality "HD" streams than Apple TV did.
 
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mkaiser1

macrumors member
Jan 16, 2008
80
2
Leicester, UK
Let’s all be very clear here:
1. It’s a great step forward.
2. There are some key services missing that would make this a huge - HUGE - deal and massively used Service and would justify the purchase of an Apple TV. These are things they advertised WOULD be on the TVApp from launch in the UK and are not so I assume they are sorting. They are NETFLIX and NOWTV.
3. Other services required include ALL4 and DisneyLife, but sort number 2 and this ‘little app’ becomes a game changer for UK user in my opinion.
 
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m2uk

macrumors regular
Jan 13, 2004
186
25
Finland
VPN support could be, err, useful... until then it’s not personally attractive and, as others note, variable support exists for other EU media consumers.
 

Hoosier317

Suspended
Sep 21, 2016
724
958
I'm seeing that the BBC iPlayer app for tvOS hasn't been updated since June, 12th of 2017...is that correct?
 
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