Apple activates Top Charts section for Apple TV, games dominate paid downloads
Three days after launching an all new tvOS App Store alongside the fourth-generation Apple TV, Apple on Monday added a Top Charts section to aggregate the online shop's most popular and highest grossing titles, revealing games to be high on users' download lists.
Tacked on to the tvOS App Store as a browsing alternative to Featured, Purchased and Search, the new Top Charts category highlights top paid apps, top free apps and top grossing apps, as calculated since last week's launch. The system is identical to app rankings applied to the iOS or Mac App Stores.
It appears early Apple TV adopters are willing to pay a premium to test out the set-top box's ability to run games, as the category is currently dominating both Top Paid Apps and Top Grossing Apps. Gaming titles like Beat Sports and Galaxy on Fire account for eight of the top ten apps on both charts. At $9.99, Beat Sports, which was demoed at Apple's iPhone event in September, sits in the number one spot.
Rayman Adventures and Crossy Road sit atop Apple TV's free apps chart, though users are showing an initial interest in streaming content services from established broadcasters like Fox and CBS. App services from cable channels including HBO and Showtime are counted among the top free apps despite requiring paid subscriptions. It is unclear how many users end up activating paying accounts, or signing up for trial sessions, but these streaming titles are currently among the most downloaded on tvOS.
Owners of the fourth-generation Apple TV can find the Top Charts section in the App Store's top navigation bar next to Featured, Purchased and Search. If the category is not showing up, force quit App Store in the tvOS app switcher and reopen.
Tacked on to the tvOS App Store as a browsing alternative to Featured, Purchased and Search, the new Top Charts category highlights top paid apps, top free apps and top grossing apps, as calculated since last week's launch. The system is identical to app rankings applied to the iOS or Mac App Stores.
It appears early Apple TV adopters are willing to pay a premium to test out the set-top box's ability to run games, as the category is currently dominating both Top Paid Apps and Top Grossing Apps. Gaming titles like Beat Sports and Galaxy on Fire account for eight of the top ten apps on both charts. At $9.99, Beat Sports, which was demoed at Apple's iPhone event in September, sits in the number one spot.
Rayman Adventures and Crossy Road sit atop Apple TV's free apps chart, though users are showing an initial interest in streaming content services from established broadcasters like Fox and CBS. App services from cable channels including HBO and Showtime are counted among the top free apps despite requiring paid subscriptions. It is unclear how many users end up activating paying accounts, or signing up for trial sessions, but these streaming titles are currently among the most downloaded on tvOS.
Owners of the fourth-generation Apple TV can find the Top Charts section in the App Store's top navigation bar next to Featured, Purchased and Search. If the category is not showing up, force quit App Store in the tvOS app switcher and reopen.
Comments
Quelle surprise
I just see so many Nintendo rip offs. Beat Sports is a freaking Nintendo game re-skinned. Too bad Nintendo's marketing is garbage.
Awesome. I'm excited to see Apple TV grow and evolve, with software updates and better apps. Just downloaded Plex today, and loving it.
The Apple TV app store launched with no killer app. At this point, you are a 1st generation app store user. Return it and wait for version 2.0. As usual.
20 year Apple user. Never buy into version 1.0
What other category could possibly be at the top?
As a 40 year Appple user I concur, except that I'd say "almost never buy into version 1.0".
In this case I am still using an early aTV, so it's about time I upgraded my hardware, the software upgrades will come in good time, for free!
Still no category-based search in the TV app store. When I go search by first letter of the alphabet, I occasionally see several apps in foreign languages (such as German, even with the app description completely in German) in the app store. Seems like someone completely forgot "categorization" when it came to establishing the TV app store for release on Day 1.
I got mine last night and other than enduring my usual raised blood pressure whenever I try to use those on screen keyboard entry methods it all worked very well. The reading from the iPhone to start it off was brilliant. Like you I can see enormous potential not quite yet fulfilled. I really can't see any reason why over the next few months to a year TvOS can't have Keychain, a far more powerful Siri working with music for example and some great games. Companies like X-Plane must be working around the clock to get an ?TV version out I'd have thought.
I must read up on on Plex, I have no idea what it is or does...
There isn't enough total apps to have categories at this point.
Having more than 1 app is sufficient enough to establishing categories. They can model them off the iOS app store. Some categories can be empty initially, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Who took the jam out of your doughnut?