Apps UK Catch-up TV Disappointment

[Sakurambo-kun]

I can live without them due to having a smart tv and a PS4 or using airplay. But it certainly isn't ideal. I know sooo many people who wanted to get the new Apple TV but couldn't bring themselves to buy it knowing the main catch up channels aren't on there. They all got Amazon ones instead.

It's the polar opposite of ideal. What's the point of buying a streaming device if you have to use your phone to do the heavy lifting? It's crazy.

I wonder what went on behind the scenes with the Apple TV. Every other streaming device has at least most of the main UK catchup services, and they all have Amazon Video on there too. Apple's offering is utterly hopeless by comparison. As it stands the device is an iTunes streamer and little else. Even Netflix is worse on the Apple TV than other other platforms.

 

[rasputin1969]

It is now clear that, aside from the iPhone, Apple's much lauded App ecosystem advantage is utterly bogus. The Mac app store is a wasteland, the Apple watch store is sparse, the TV appstore is the same and developers have lost all interest in the iPad.

 

[Sakurambo-kun]

I have to agree. The iPhone app store thrives, but the rest, well they're in varying degrees of trouble. The Mac App Store is the worst of the lot. No Mac App of note is in it, no doubt because of the exorbitant sums Apple charges to use its app stores.

 

[ozaz]

It is now clear that, aside from the iPhone, Apple's much lauded App ecosystem advantage is utterly bogus. The Mac app store is a wasteland, the Apple watch store is sparse, the TV appstore is the same and developers have lost all interest in the iPad.

I mostly agree, but would say that for me iPad app ecosystem carries a bigger draw compared to the competition than iPhone app ecosystem (because Android is pretty good when it comes to phone apps but is weak for tablet apps).

I have to agree. The iPhone app store thrives, but the rest, well they're in varying degrees of trouble. The Mac App Store is the worst of the lot. No Mac App of note is in it, no doubt because of the exorbitant sums Apple charges to use its app stores.

Does Apple insist on taking a cut of ad-revenue generated through TV apps? I wonder if that's why UK terrestrial services other than BBC have shown no interest.

 

[brandscill]

Does Apple insist on taking a cut of ad-revenue generated through TV apps? I wonder if that's why UK terrestrial services other than BBC have shown no interest.

No, they don't. You can pick any advertising platform to use within your apps. It's just direct purchases they take a cut on.

 

[Jaunty]

Not much to add here, just a general lament on the dire state of the ATV4 streaming services in the UK. I have one on my main TV but for other TVs Amazon Stick or Roku do more for less.

 

[Dented]

The ATV4 has been just another disappointment from Apple in the past year or so. Ours is now relegated to the bedroom telly and replaced with a Panasonic DVR which simply does everything. Yes the interface is clunkier but when all is said and done, content is king.

 

[QuiteGrumpy]

What are the main theories for why there are no ITV Hub or All 4 apps for Apple TV? What's causing the delay or causing the TV companies hesitation? This glaring omission doesn't get any coverage in tech news at all.

 

[brandscill]

What are the main theories for why there are no ITV Hub or All 4 apps for Apple TV? What's causing the delay or causing the TV companies hesitation? This glaring omission doesn't get any coverage in tech news at all.

All 4 chief said on Twitter Apple TV doesn't have the marketshare to justify it. Find it interesting how they decide as they went for fire tv when it was just starting out, something suggests money is often involved in these deals

 

[Dented]

I think it's fairly obvious that Amazon stumped up some cash and/or development help to get them all on their platform from the start, and be able to advertise that prominently pretty much at launch. They also priced their devices lower of course, selling more and making it that much more attractive to the broadcasters.

Apple meanwhile seem to have been typically arrogant in thinking that (a) if they built an App Store for their new untested device everyone would immediately flock to it by themselves, and (b) they could sell that device at a massively higher price point to rivals even without that content in place.

For me they missed the boat years ago with the 3rd gen box. If they'd opened that up to simple third party streaming apps, or just worked with the UK broadcasters to add them as in built channels back when things like the Now TV and Fire TV boxes didn't exist or were unknown, the UK broadcasters would have jumped on board and ATV would have been firmly established as a platform in the UK. That could have then led on to the more capable 4th gen and better apps etc.

Instead it was a case of too little, too late, and too expensive.

 

[rbrian]

How much work does it take to get an existing iPhone and iPad app on the Apple TV? Is it really much more than ticking a box?

 

[brandscill]

How much work does it take to get an existing iPhone and iPad app on the Apple TV? Is it really much more than ticking a box?

Not a lot but for a company like channel 4 who struggle to maintain their current apps they're avoiding adding anymore
[doublepost=1481003785][/doublepost]Thing is, the only way to show companies the demand is to write to them. ITV have the user voice website where you can vote, channel 4 you can submit feedback

 

[rbrian]

Not a lot but for a company like channel 4 who struggle to maintain their current apps they're avoiding adding anymore
[doublepost=1481003785][/doublepost]Thing is, the only way to show companies the demand is to write to them. ITV have the user voice website where you can vote, channel 4 you can submit feedback

I'll do that, thanks. My "broad"band is so slow streaming isn't really an option for me, I download and then airplay. Fibre is supposed to be coming in March, so it will be more of an issue then! Even so, airplay is ok, except that the BBC iPlayer app doesn't send the subtitles (Amazon Prime Video does). I'm thinking of repurposing my old Mac mini into an HTPC, so I'll be able to stream from websites then.

 

[Dented]

Not a lot but for a company like channel 4 who struggle to maintain their current apps they're avoiding adding anymore
[doublepost=1481003785][/doublepost]Thing is, the only way to show companies the demand is to write to them. ITV have the user voice website where you can vote, channel 4 you can submit feedback

I hate to be negative but a great many people, myself included, wrote to them via all those channels a year ago, and again since. The silence in response has been absolutely deafening. It is abundantly clear that they have no plans to join the platform, and of course as long as they don't, ATV is likely to remain small enough in the UK for them to continue ignoring.

It may be a roaring success elsewhere but the sad fact is, in the U.K., Apple TV is dead in the water and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

 

[eyeballtickler7]

Old link, but the demand is still there...

https://itvhub.uservoice.com/forums/247805-the-itv-hub/suggestions/10898274-itv-hub-for-tv-app-store

 

[OllyW]

It may be a roaring success elsewhere but the sad fact is, in the U.K., Apple TV is dead in the water and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

I think the only place where it's anywhere near to being a roaring success is the USA.

I've owned all previous three generations of Apple TV but there's nothing offered so far by the 4th gen that would tempt me to make another purchase.

 

[brandscill]

I hate to be negative but a great many people, myself included, wrote to them via all those channels a year ago, and again since. The silence in response has been absolutely deafening. It is abundantly clear that they have no plans to join the platform, and of course as long as they don't, ATV is likely to remain small enough in the UK for them to continue ignoring.

It may be a roaring success elsewhere but the sad fact is, in the U.K., Apple TV is dead in the water and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

I think, if and it's still an unknown but perhaps the most likely, ITV come on board then Channel 4 will feel more inclined.

 

[Dented]

I think, if and it's still an unknown but perhaps the most likely, ITV come on board then Channel 4 will feel more inclined.

But why would they decide to do that now after blanking the idea for so long? It's hardly as if ATV has built up to some critical mass in that time. More likely it's lost ground as the early adopters (like me) have given up and switched to other platforms.

I detest Rupert Murdoch, but the fact is that in a country where Now TV will essentially pay you to have a Roku box with all the catch-up channels built in, ATV just doesn't make any sense.

You can petition and write letters but ITV aren't daft, they will have much more sophisticated audience research in place to tell them exactly what the real demand is and what the value proposition is to them in Apple TV support, and I'm guessing it's not much.

 

[allonym]

It may be a roaring success elsewhere but the sad fact is, in the U.K., Apple TV is dead in the water and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody.

I'd recommend it to anyone like me! We've no interest in catch up except for BBC but want Netflix, iTunes movies and TV shows, access to iTunes music on a Mac and airplay. Only Apple TV can do all of those and it does them all really well (IMO). I get that it's not for everyone, but that's not the same as it not being for anyone.

 

[Dented]

I'd recommend it to anyone like me! We've no interest in catch up except for BBC but want Netflix, iTunes movies and TV shows, access to iTunes music on a Mac and airplay. Only Apple TV can do all of those and it does them all really well (IMO). I get that it's not for everyone, but that's not the same as it not being for anyone.

For you I would have recommended the third gen box. Cheaper, better for Netflix, and if you can make do without any other UK streaming service I daresay you can live with airplaying iPlayer too.

 

[allonym]

For you I would have recommended the third gen box. Cheaper, better for Netflix, and if you can make do without any other UK streaming service I daresay you can live with airplaying iPlayer too.

Better to have the app on the ATV than the phone IMO and also the remote is much better on the 4th gen than on the previous generations (we had the 2nd). We only use one remote now - the Apple TV one, which turns everything on (TV, ATV, AV receiver) and gives us all the controls we need on a day-to-day basis. The old remote couldn't do that as it has no volume control. I also really like the touch surface/interface and voice recognition.

Bottom line is, we're really pleased with the new Apple TV. It does everything we need it too, does it all really well and is saving us a pile of cash each month (as we've cut the cord and only pay Virgin for broadband now).

 

[andyp350]

I'd recommend it to anyone like me! We've no interest in catch up except for BBC but want Netflix, iTunes movies and TV shows, access to iTunes music on a Mac and airplay. Only Apple TV can do all of those and it does them all really well (IMO). I get that it's not for everyone, but that's not the same as it not being for anyone.

Totally agree with this post. I have so many devices connected to my tv that can access catch-up services (which I rarely use anyway) that's it's hardly a deal breaker for me that they aren't on the Apple TV.
My main reasons for buying Apple TV where to play my iTunes purchases and to stream content from my MacBook to my TV and the occasional airplay from my phone. The Apple TV does this flawlessly so I'm happy with my purchase.
Sure, it'd be nice to have all the TV services on there, but I didn't buy it for that.

 

[Dented]

Totally agree with this post. I have so many devices connected to my tv that can access catch-up services (which I rarely use anyway) that's it's hardly a deal breaker for me that they aren't on the Apple TV.
My main reasons for buying Apple TV where to play my iTunes purchases and to stream content from my MacBook to my TV and the occasional airplay from my phone. The Apple TV does this flawlessly so I'm happy with my purchase.
Sure, it'd be nice to have all the TV services on there, but I didn't buy it for that.

But again you're just talking about the stuff that ATV always did; a cheaper third gen box could have done all you wanted years ago. The whole point of the fourth gen box was supposed to be apps; the fact that you don't use any doesn't change the fact that for most UK users the key apps they want are missing.

 

[andyp350]

But again you're just talking about the stuff that ATV always did; a cheaper third gen box could have done all you wanted years ago. The whole point of the fourth gen box was supposed to be apps; the fact that you don't use any doesn't change the fact that for most UK users the key apps they want are missing.

Thats a fair point. I use Plex so that alone was reason enough for me to upgrade to the ATV4, massive improvement over standard streaming from iTunes on the ATV 1-3. That along with the new remote that I can now control my TV and volume with and a few other minor enhancements make it a worthwhile upgrade from my ATV2 that I had before.

 

[andrewstirling]

Thats a fair point. I use Plex so that alone was reason enough for me to upgrade to the ATV4, massive improvement over standard streaming from iTunes on the ATV 1-3. That along with the new remote that I can now control my TV and volume with and a few other minor enhancements make it a worthwhile upgrade from my ATV2 that I had before.

Thing is, everything runs plex. Got that on my smart tv too. It's hard to find a compelling reason now to choose Apple TV over fire tv, nvidia shield, roku etc etc. Pains me to say it but it's way behind. For me, Apple are needing a big big year on so many fronts.