Apple today updated the Apple TV with a brand new National Geographic channel, bringing popular National Geographic shows and content to the company's set-top box. National Geographic first announced plans to introduce an Apple TV channel in November.
The channel includes shows like Life Below Zero, Live Free or Die, The Incredible Dr. Pol, and more. As with the company's iOS apps, content is available through the Apple TV channel the day after it airs on television. The channel also offers on-demand access to back episodes of popular shows.
Like many of the channels on the Apple TV, accessing content like full on-demand episodes requires authentication with a cable TV provider. For those without a cable subscription, there are a few select episodes available for free, plus there are digital shorts and clips from shows available for viewing.
Apple today released the sixth public betas of iOS 27, iPadOS 27, tvOS 27, and macOS Golden Gate, allowing anyone with a compatible device to download and test the new software. The sixth betas come a week after Apple seeded the fifth betas and a few hours after the eighth developer betas.
You can get started by signing up on Apple's beta website and then opting in to the public beta by...
Apple TV has bought the worldwide rights to "Small Prophets," breaking with how it normally operates in acquiring an existing English-language hit rather than commissioning a show of its own from the start.
Apple TV has typically developed or, at the very least, commissioned shows in-house and given them their premiere on the service, regardless of where they may eventually end up. This...
Wednesday August 19, 2026 7:43 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
According to rumors, the next-generation Apple TV 4K will have at least five new features, including an A17 Pro chip or newer, increased RAM, Siri AI support, an Apple-designed N1 chip with Wi-Fi 7 support, and an updated Siri Remote.
Below, we recap everything rumored for the next Apple TV, along with potential launch timing.
Rumored Features
A17 Pro Chip or Newer
The next Apple TV wi...
National Geographic channel sucks. As with other, "educational" channels like Discovery and History, insightful documentaries have long since been replaced with reality shows, "stories from the bible", "ghost hunters", "alien encounters", etc. As someone else already commented, "meh, another channel to hide on my Apple TV."
If you want the sort of programming that people expected from National Geographic, just turn to PBS' Nightline and NOVA.
The more channels they add the more likely my Apple TV can completely replace my SD set top box in my bedroom. Then I can get HD content without the added equipment cost from my tv provider.