To borrow one of Jobs' terms, media licensing is a "bag of hurt."
That is why those hoping for local channels in non-O&O markets will still probably be out of luck when Hulu launches their service. The local franchisees hold the licenses to provide network programming in those markets, not the network.
Those agreements may or may not preclude a network from granting additional licenses in those markets, but for DTVN, Hulu, etc. to negotiate separately for those rights, for each market, isn't a high priority, and may not be worth the effort, especially in the smaller markets. That goes for the network as well. If a franchisee is going to lose their exclusivity and have to share, they're going to demand a lower fee, and will whatever DTVN or whomever pays cover the difference?
On a national level, it's no easier. Google secured CBS for YouTube TV, but not Viacom, Turner, Time Warner, and a few other network groups. Vue had Viacom's channels, but lost them. Even the MSOs, which have the most complete coverage, still have to battle the programmers over carriage fees occasionally.
In TV and movies, the networks and studios are the ones who hold most of the cards. The MSOs bend over to accommodate them, and then pass that onto users who have to do the same.
These new OTT services can't afford to do that, and still charge lower prices and differentiate themselves from cable, so there are gaps, and other compromises.
Services like Netflix and Amazon Prime have taken control of their own destiny, and are creating their own original content to reduce their reliance on the studios.
If you're a big telecom and can afford it, you buy yourself a network or studio like Comcast has done, and AT&T is doing. They don't want to be stuck being "dumb pipes."
Apple probably thought it could waltz in and dictate the terms for their own OTT/skinny bundle, but it doesn't have the same clout as it does in the music industry. With no agreement on terms, no Apple TV service.
That has left the ATV platform moribund, and reliant on the good graces of the networks and others to create apps to fill the programming void that Apple hasn't been able to fill, thus far.
Carpool Karaoke and Planet of the Apps is a start, but not likely to be must haves. And puzzlingly, they're making them a part of Apple Music, another category where Apple first missed the boat.
Without a "hook," why would most choose an ATV over other streaming boxes? Better iOS integration isn't enough for most people.
TLDR -- whatever gripe you may have with DTVN and others, it's as much a product of licensing and cost as much as it is a technical. The networks and studios are the ones in control.
