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The CW's Apple TV App Coming Next Week With No Cable Subscription Required

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A few shows on The CW have begun tweeting out a confirmation that the network's Apple TV app will arrive sometime "next week," along with apps on Roku, Chromecast, Xbox, and Amazon Fire TV (via iDigitalTimes). The hint of an incoming Apple TV app was discovered last week, but an official Apple TV app for The CW -- and not just the clip-based "Seed" platform -- has been in the works for over three years. The Apple TV app will also support AirPlay.

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Starting next week, The CW is available everywhere. Find out more: https://t.co/310HbjCvRL pic.twitter.com/RjoIKGGF0X - Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (@CW_CrazyXGF) September 19, 2016
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"Every show on The CW" will be available to watch on the app, which will also be free and require no login or cable subscription to access its content. Previously, The CW shows premiered on Hulu the day after they aired, but a new deal with Netflix will have entire seasons available to stream a few days after season finales air. That still left viewers without a cable subscription, who prefer to keep up with a show weekly, out to dry.

The new app should help alleviate that problem, since all of its biggest shows will be available to watch, including Supergirl, The Flash, Jane The Virgin, Arrow, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, iZombie, Supernatural, DC's Legends of Tomorrow, The 100 and The Originals. Catching up on previous seasons won't be the focus of The CW's app, however, as it appears only the "latest episodes" will be showcased.

Users interested can opt in to be notified when the Apple TV app becomes available to download through a form on The CW's website.

Article Link: The CW's Apple TV App Coming Next Week With No Cable Subscription Required
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2016/09/20/the-cw-apple-tv-app/
I think this should be front page news.

This is what many people were waiting for, cable-free content. It probably won't be ad-free, but who knows, maybe there will be an ad-free premium version in the future for.
 
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ButteryScrollin said:
"The Apple TV app will also support AirPlay."

how would that work?
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You could airplay it from you Apple TV to your uh... other Apple TV... Or Mac? Yeah, no idea.

But hey, this seems to me like the obvious next step for broadcast TV. Throw the shows on an app, show me the same ads, and heck, I'd probably watch. Even if the app just mirrors the live streaming of their actual broadcast, I might still take it.
 
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Free? I imaging there will be ads. Fair 'nough, though. As long as it ain't to intrusive.

At some point, those subcriptions do add up.

Also, it would probably be US only, but I do have ways around that... :)
 
Already have CW on antenna I think.

I guess this works as a more convenient DVR method. Nice!
 
I hope they get this right. I'm sure many people were watching these shows on Hulu.
 
ButteryScrollin said:
"The Apple TV app will also support AirPlay."

how would that work?
Click to expand...

I'm guessing that it's more then just a tvOS app but also an app for your iPhone/iPad like pretty much all the other channel apps. Probably supports Airplay so you can stream it to your second or third generation Apple TV from iPhone/iPad if you don't have the latest model.
 
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While it's nice that a major network finally gets rid of the cable subscription requirement, I think it is regrettable that they were pulled from Hulu, since that gave people an option to watch episodes as they aired without commercials. Not particularly interested in their shows (though I did watch a few "Flash" episodes), but if I was I'd probably wait for them to show up on Netflix rather than using this app.
 
Gasu E. said:
"As long as it ain't too intrusive"? I'd being very interested in a further explanation of your economic theories.
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How many ads, how often, how long. Generally streaming with commercials have had fewer than broadcast - they can conmpensate by the fact that they know how many are watching and they can make them not skippable. I agree with him, I don't mind ads if the service is otherwise free and they aren't too intrusive.
 
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i look forward to all the networks moving to this. We get to watch the shows when we want and the networks get to mix in ads and keep the revenue for themselves without having to share with local network affiliates.
 
WeemanWise said:
I'm guessing that it's more then just a tvOS app but also an app for your iPhone/iPad like pretty much all the other channel apps. Probably supports Airplay so you can stream it to your second or third generation Apple TV from iPhone/iPad if you don't have the latest model.
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That appears to be correct. I checked it out on the App Store and it's an iOS app that has Apple TV support as well. It seems to be an update for an existing app, so I don't know if the old one didn't allow AirPlay.
 
How about an update to the iOS app too? Still hasn't even been updated for the larger screen sizes and Chromecast support would also be nice.

Kind of funny to see them advertising free all of a sudden, they've been free to watch through their website and these various other apps for a number of years.
 
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Well slap my a$$ and call me Charlie! I never thought I would see the day that an OTA network would actually do this! As a fan of The Flash and Arrow (and soon to be Supergirl) this is VERY welcomed news. As is the Netflix deal, too. Thanks for stepping up to the plate, CW! As for ads, I can always mute commercials like I do with live sports.
 
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CW has for years made the 5 most recent episodes of their shows available for streaming on their website and their iOS apps without any pay TV authentication. The episodes become available the day after they're broadcast live. CW has maintained their no-authentication/available day after policy while other networks like ABC now wait a full week after broadcast before making the episode starts streaming on their site. It's nice to see the CW extend the no-subscription model they use on their site and iOS apps to the various streaming platforms. Hopefully, they will continue to make episodes available for streaming the day after broadcasting.
 
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Gasu E. said:
"As long as it ain't too intrusive"? I'd being very interested in a further explanation of your economic theories.
Click to expand...

Yes, "to" meant "too". I can spell, I can't type... :)

But yeah, I was vague. I do agree that content has to be paid for 'somehow'. So I'm ok, with ads, up to a point.
I wouldn't want to be peppered with ads ever 5 minutes, for example.

I don't pretend to have the answer here. I just know what I don't want.

I used Hulu last year, but it still had ads even with a paid service. I would have been ok with the amount of ads for a free service. What's worse the highest tier, with 'no ads', still had some on popular show, so what was the point of that tier?

Just food for (some other person's) thoughts!

Cheers
 
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Oh thank goodness!

I've been disappointed with most of the network apps even when I do get to login with my ISP to get extra access. The CW app is no exception and hides, what seems, random shows for various seasons.

Being that I'm a big fan of the DC TV-verse, this is very exciting. Especially if it means I can catch up on shows without having to wait for Netflix to get any particular season.
 
Great no login. Even though I subscribe to those other channels many of them I did not even bother to download and authorize because after a week sitting down to watch something I have to log in yet again with another stupid code. Also a major disappointment that there so called one login is still not ready on the Apple TV.
 
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