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Apple Adds ABC, Bloomberg, Crackle, and KORTV Channels to Apple TV

Wednesday December 11, 2013 6:28 am PST by Eric Slivka
Apple today added yet another set of channels to its Apple TV set-top box, including a "Watch ABC" channel to allow subscribers to certain cable services to watch content from their local ABC affiliate through Apple TV. Other additions include financial channel Bloomberg, streaming movie and TV show channel Crackle, and Korean channel KORTV.

apple_tv_abc_bloomberg
Today's launches are just a few of the many additions for Apple TV over the past few months, with the most recent previous addition having been Yahoo Screen and PBS last month. Other recent additions included Major League Soccer and Disney Junior in September, Vevo, Smithsonian, and Disney in August, and WatchESPN and HBO GO in June. Apple is also reportedly in talks to launch channels for cable provider Time Warner Cable and TV network The CW.

Update: 9to5Mac has a behind the scenes look at the development process for the Bloomberg channel.
Apple has already streamlined the process of building its current lineup of Apple TV apps— which mostly consist of streaming video content— to the point where developers can quickly and easy build apps through an easy to use SDK, much like on iOS. The team behind the development of the Bloomberg app, which consisted of two developers under Bloomberg’s head of mobile and connected devices Oke Okaro, told me that Apple’s toolkit, an SDK of sorts, has “made it quite easy to build the apps.” The team of two developers along with Okaro built the app in just five weeks. Most of that time was spent testing and optimizing the video experience.
Apple reportedly provided some input and feedback along the way in terms of optimizing the user experience, but largely allowed Bloomberg to define what it wanted to include in the channel.

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[ 188 comments ]


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0815
57 months ago
It's great that they keep adding channels/apps to the Apple TV .... but now they are at the point where a major UI rewrite is required, it is getting to cluttered and the 'channels' are not integrated, but instead separate without e.g. common search interface for shows/movies/... etc
Rating: 31 Votes
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Sky Blue
57 months ago
Can we have a Plex channel please?
Rating: 17 Votes
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pavelbure
57 months ago

You can. Go into the Parental Restrictions in Settings. Hide apps.

This should be stickied into every Apple TV article.
Rating: 17 Votes
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vtstarck
57 months ago

Would be great to have the ability to hide some of the channels not interested in, now that they have so many.


You can. Go into the Parental Restrictions in Settings. Hide apps.
Rating: 17 Votes
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cpatterson1177
57 months ago
Awesome, more channels that I can't watch because I don't subscribe to a cable or satellite service.
Rating: 15 Votes
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BJMRamage
57 months ago
so, I just checked out Apple.com

for WATCH ABC the asterisk said this:
Free with your subscription through participating cable and satellite providers.

What stinks is my parents have NEVER subscribed to cable/satellite/dish/etc. They are still using their HUGE antenna on the roof for HDTV (quite clear too) broadcasts. They can easily watch ABC on TV or online BUT seems they won't be able to with Apple TV.

I understand this is probably an ABC thing and not something Apple dictated but it SUCKS! especially since ABC is an Over-The-Air network!
Rating: 12 Votes
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thogin
57 months ago
Please add Plex, that's all I need. And Amazon. Plex and Amazon, that's all I need. And the NFL.

Amazon, Plex, and the NFL. And this ashtray. The ashtray and the paddle game and that's all I need... And this remote control.
Rating: 12 Votes
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MacGeek1987
57 months ago
The absence of Amazon Instant Video is still baffling.
Rating: 8 Votes
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aawil
57 months ago


Hopefully ABC is a non-activation one.


Unfortunately not. I have comcast and I don't even bother with it. I'm struggling to understand why ABC which I assume is a free to air channel needs authentication to watch.
Rating: 6 Votes
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ra4oasis
57 months ago

Unfortunately not. I have comcast and I don't even bother with it. I'm struggling to understand why ABC which I assume is a free to air channel needs authentication to watch.


I was wondering the same. I pick up ABC in glorious HD easily at my house, with a $20 dollar antenna. So why would they force authentication makes my head hurt.
Rating: 6 Votes

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