Apple Working on Digital Television Guide for Apple TV

Apple is working with television content providers and video companies to create a universal digital TV guide for the Apple TV and iOS devices, reports Recode.

Apple's goal is to help users discover all of the different television channels that are available through dedicated apps from companies like HBO, Netflix, and ESPN without the need to open up each app. The digital TV guide would also include a feature allowing users to play TV shows and movies with one click.

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Last year, after Apple shelved its plans for a streaming television service, it shifted its strategy to the tvOS App Store, positioning it as a way for content providers to share their own content on Apple's platform. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said in the past that he believes the future of TV is apps.

Industry sources say Apple's plans are an outgrowth of the TV service it wanted to launch last year. The difference is that in 2015, Apple wanted to sell TV programming directly to consumers, and provide them with a new interface that would make it easy find the stuff they paid for.

Now Apple is just working on the interface. It is letting programmers, distributors and customers work out the money part among themselves.

According to Recode, the single sign-on feature that's bundled into tvOS 10 is the first part of Apple's TV guide plan. Single sign-on will allow customers with a cable subscription to sign into the Apple TV once and access all of the apps that are available through cable authentication.

Apple already has access to information about the television content within apps to power Siri's Apple TV search features, but the company is said to be speaking with content providers about additional metadata for its full guide.

It's not clear what an Apple TV guide might look like, but it could perhaps work similarly to the App Store, with editor-based show recommendations, custom "For You" recommendations based on watched shows, lists of popular television shows, and more, making it easier for customers to discover new television content.

There is no word on when an Apple-designed television guide could be added to the Apple TV and iOS devices, but TV execs that spoke to Recode expressed some hesitation about the idea because it would eliminate their ability to draw customers to their own guides and channel promotion efforts.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Tag: Recode
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Don't Buy)

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Top Rated Comments

Apple Knowledge Navigator Avatar
116 months ago
What was that secret that Steve Jobs said when he cracked the TV?
I'm starting to think that he was referring to a time when he threw the remote at it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BornAgainMac Avatar
116 months ago
What was that secret that Steve Jobs said when he cracked the TV? Was this having Apps on Apple TV, Siri, or this digital TV guide?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
countryside Avatar
116 months ago
Wow, I have to hand it to Apple, creative. They didn't give up. They had the channels some to them. They then allow out to have a single sign in. Now Apple just makes a "guide" like service/app. My hope is that eventually Apple offers its own cable "provider" service that I can subscribe to. Then I can ditch cable networks and use my Apple TV only.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Carmenia83 Avatar
116 months ago
"Apple's goal is to help users discover all of the different television channels that are available through dedicated apps from companies like HBO, Netflix, and ESPN without the need to open up each app."

It's not opening each app that's the problem. It's paying for each app.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rogifan Avatar
116 months ago
What was that secret that Steve Jobs said when he cracked the TV? Was this having Apps on Apple TV, Siri, or this digital TV guide?
He's gone. Who cares at this point?

So they just want to make the Apple TV a set-top box. This does nothing to move the needle forward on getting rid of the cable company middlemen. I can't imagine this is what Steve had in mind with his big idea.
Except Apple offering a package of their own would just make them the middleman. But then you'd still have to deal with a cable or telephone company for your internet access. The TV industry isn't anything like music in the early 2000s. They don't need Apple to come in and "save" them.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
btbeme Avatar
116 months ago
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah .

Fix the damn remote, Apple. I can't even begin to scroll through my 3000 movies without getting a thumb cramp, jumping to random menus, and having to start all over again...and again...and again. Why can't I press and hold to scroll quickly, like I did on the old remote (which you clowns also partially disabled, thanks a lot.)

The new AppleTV is simply the most un-Apple-like product they have ever made. So many badly-designed features in one little product...
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)