Apple Aims to Simplify Streaming Video With TV App for iPhone, iPad and Apple TV
October 27 2016 - 03:12PM
Dow Jones News
By Nathan Olivarez-Giles
Apple Inc. is about to start guessing what you want to watch on
TV. It's bringing an all-new app called TV to Apple TV streaming
boxes as well as iPhones and iPads this December.
The app will marry iTunes content with the apps you use to
stream TV shows, movies and sports, honing its recommendations to
your overall video preferences. It also will give Siri new
abilities to get people streaming video quicker than before.
In the TV app, which Apple demonstrated Thursday during a press
event in Cupertino, Calif., the first thing you see is a list of
shows and movies labeled, "Up next." This list displays new
episodes of TV shows you watch on Hulu, iTunes, HBO Go, FX, Starz
and other apps that you're logged into. If you didn't finish an
episode or movie, it shows up in "Up next" as well, so you can pick
up where you left off.
If you want to watch something new, that you haven't seen
before, the TV app also will offer human curated suggestions for TV
shows and movies. You can also browse suggestions by categories
such as kids, sci-fi and comedy. The TV app will also have a
section called "library" where you can see all of your iTunes
purchases and rentals in one place.
Not all streaming services may be covered in the TV app. Netflix
wasn't mentioned as a compatible service in Apple's demo. Neither
was Amazon's video service, which isn't even available on Apple TV,
but is available as an app for iPhones and iPads. Apple hasn't yet
responded to a request for comment.
The TV app lets you use Siri to jump into shows. Say, "Play
Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and the show plays automatically, where you
left off, whether you watch it in Hulu or paid for it on
iTunes.
You can also use the app to get into live programming. In the
demo, Apple showed how "Watch CBS News" could get you to a live
broadcast, and "Watch the Louisville game" on a Saturday could
launch college football on "Watch ESPN." Ask "What other football
games are on now?" and Siri could show the day's games and how to
stream them.
A store built into the TV app lets you download new streaming
video apps. And for those who subscribe to a cable or satellite TV
service, which can provide access to apps like ESPN, FX and HBO Go,
the December software update also will include a "single sign-on"
that lets you sign in once and automatically access any apps that
are part of your pay-TV plan.
The pressure is on Apple to provide a more unified content
experience, as smart TVs from Samsung Electronics Ltd. and LG
Electronics Inc., and competing products from companies such as
Roku Inc., do the same. We plan to review this new experience
closer to its December launch.
Write to Nathan Olivarez-Giles at
Nathan.Olivarez-giles@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
October 27, 2016 14:57 ET (18:57 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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