Israel's Cellcom brings internet TV service to Apple TV

Posted:
in iPod + iTunes + AppleTV
Major Israeli carrier Cellcom is bringing its internet TV service, Cellcom TV, to the fourth-generation Apple TV, in what could potentially be an important sales driver for the set-top.




The carrier made the announcement on Tuesday alongside launching a new app, Reuters said on Tuesday. Cellcom TV includes a mix of live channels and on-demand content, making it somewhat similar to Sling TV or PlayStation Vue in the U.S.

It's not clear what unique features the Apple TV app might get, or if it will support tvOS 10.1's single sign-on functions when that update launches next month. Compatibility would allow people with a Cellcom subscription to authenticate once and watch content in multiple apps.

While Cellcom TV is a fledgling service with just over 100,000 subscribers, it may be poised to catch up with local cable company Hot and satellite TV provider Yes. Whereas those two firms lost customers in the last quarter, Cellcom actually gained about 12,000, perhaps reflecting global cord-cutting trends.

Apple could benefit if it can position the Apple TV as an ideal way of watching Cellcom programming on a big screen. The company already markets the set-top as "the future of television," and in fact tvOS 10.1 will also include a native "TV" app making it easier to use an Apple TV as a cable/satellite replacement.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 22
    Simplifying and integrating the AppleTV boot up with TV makers (I.e., TV automatically switches inputs when AppleTV is turned on) and making sign-ins easier with key content players will be much better "sales drivers," IMHO. 

    With convenient buttons for Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, etc on my new TV remotes, and the availability of pretty much all the movies and TV shows via On Demand (as well as the ability to just use voice with the remote to bring up Netflix on Comcast) I find that I use my AppleTV less and less. Except for my photos and music. 
  • Reply 2 of 22
    Rayz2016Rayz2016 Posts: 6,957member
    Simplifying and integrating the AppleTV boot up with TV makers (I.e., TV automatically switches inputs when AppleTV is turned on) and making sign-ins easier with key content players will be much better "sales drivers," IMHO. 

    With convenient buttons for Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, etc on my new TV remotes, and the availability of pretty much all the movies and TV shows via On Demand (as well as the ability to just use voice with the remote to bring up Netflix on Comcast) I find that I use my AppleTV less and less. Except for my photos and music. 
    My AppleTV does switch inputs when I turn it on. 
    jbdragonStrangeDays
  • Reply 3 of 22
    PlayStation Vue is amazing and between my Roku, Chromecast, Xbox One and Smart TV, I really have no reason to get a Apple TV. There's nothing it'll provide that I don't already have even though I can get a nice discount on one. 
  • Reply 4 of 22
    jingojingo Posts: 117member
    Apple have really missed the boat with TV, and I cannot see how they will recover from this in the TV space. They have paid too little attention to it and allowed everyone else to overtake them. This is part of why I have just sold all my Apple shares even though I keep on using their products - they are in real danger of being marginalised in an increasingly android-dominated world. It hasn't happened yet, but personally I don't see any serious evidence of them understanding what it takes to be at the leading edge, and if you're not at the leading edge marginalisation in the future is a serious threat. Just going on doing what you have done before like Apple are doing is not an option, and what's more others are doing a better job of forging relationships than Apple nowadays which will give Apple's competitors a big prime mover lead. I wonder whether the bottleneck is Jonny Ive? Maybe he just can't design any more products than they are producing now. Possibly they are so well- ( or over-, take your pick) designed that there is no spare bandwidth for new categories of products?
  • Reply 5 of 22
    rwesrwes Posts: 200member
    PlayStation Vue is amazing and between my Roku, Chromecast, Xbox One and Smart TV, I really have no reason to get a Apple TV. There's nothing it'll provide that I don't already have even though I can get a nice discount on one. 
    IMO, what's nice about the Apple TV, is it replaces Roku, Chromecast and the Smart (portion) of a Smart TV. And for me, it replaces an Xbox One too, but I can see why for heavy gamers, it wouldn't. I don't switch inputs anymore. Have been a Sling user for abit, but had not tried Vue. Have to admin, the Vue interface is slicker. Going to try DirectTV now soon too and see how it compares. With Hulu's expected launch, I really like how the space is heating up.

    Only thing that's missing that I use is Amazon Prime Video/Music (Native tvOS app), but I personally then just use Prime Video/Music less and use others instead.

    My Smart TV's do not get frequent (just about any) feature updates/additions from the manufacturer (and I really like the manufacturer).
  • Reply 6 of 22
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Simplifying and integrating the AppleTV boot up with TV makers (I.e., TV automatically switches inputs when AppleTV is turned on) and making sign-ins easier with key content players will be much better "sales drivers," IMHO.
    As Rayz2016 eludes, HDMI-CEC has been available in the Apple TV since the 4th gen. CEC has been around for so long that if you have a 16:9 flatscreen TV then your set probably has CEC built-in, even if they are using some confusing internal branding instead of simply calling it CEC.

  • Reply 7 of 22
    Soli said:
    Simplifying and integrating the AppleTV boot up with TV makers (I.e., TV automatically switches inputs when AppleTV is turned on) and making sign-ins easier with key content players will be much better "sales drivers," IMHO.
    As Rayz2016 eludes, HDMI-CEC has been available in the Apple TV since the 4th gen. CEC has been around for so long that if you have a 16:9 flatscreen TV then your set probably has CEC built-in, even if they are using some confusing internal branding instead of simply calling it CEC.

    Thanks, I'll try that. Are there any instructions posted anywhere on how to implement CEC for AppleTV?

    More generally, why can't this feature be integrated into the AppleTV -- it should be possible to do via software, no?
  • Reply 8 of 22

    sog35 said:
    Simplifying and integrating the AppleTV boot up with TV makers (I.e., TV automatically switches inputs when AppleTV is turned on) and making sign-ins easier with key content players will be much better "sales drivers," IMHO. 

    With convenient buttons for Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, etc on my new TV remotes, and the availability of pretty much all the movies and TV shows via On Demand (as well as the ability to just use voice with the remote to bring up Netflix on Comcast) I find that I use my AppleTV less and less. Except for my photos and music. 
    I only have my AppleTV connected to my TV.

    What else is connected to your TV causing this 'problem'?
    Blu-Ray/3D player; Cable box; my son's gaming device.

    Do you seriously believe your use case is universal?
  • Reply 9 of 22
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    Soli said:
    Simplifying and integrating the AppleTV boot up with TV makers (I.e., TV automatically switches inputs when AppleTV is turned on) and making sign-ins easier with key content players will be much better "sales drivers," IMHO.
    As Rayz2016 eludes, HDMI-CEC has been available in the Apple TV since the 4th gen. CEC has been around for so long that if you have a 16:9 flatscreen TV then your set probably has CEC built-in, even if they are using some confusing internal branding instead of simply calling it CEC.

    Thanks, I'll try that. Are there any instructions posted anywhere on how to implement CEC for AppleTV?

    More generally, why can't this feature be integrated into the AppleTV -- it should be possible to do via software, no?
    I think it's automatic, but you need to 1) have a TV that has CEC, and 2) have your TV set to switch when it receives the CEC input from the HDMI cable connected to the Apple TV.

    Reposed with your brand and model and we get it worked out.
    edited November 2016
  • Reply 10 of 22
    sog35 said:

    Why would people want an AppleTV? Because is an all in one solution. I literally only have my AppleTV hooked up to my TV. No cable box, no game system, no Bluray player, no CD player, ect. One device for everything.  Plus I get all my photo's, video's, apps, from the Apple ecosystem. No changing inputs, no audio receiver, no confusion. 


    What do you do for Amazon, say, if you want to watch The Grand Tour?
  • Reply 11 of 22
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member

    sog35 said:
    Soli said:
    Simplifying and integrating the AppleTV boot up with TV makers (I.e., TV automatically switches inputs when AppleTV is turned on) and making sign-ins easier with key content players will be much better "sales drivers," IMHO.
    As Rayz2016 eludes, HDMI-CEC has been available in the Apple TV since the 4th gen. CEC has been around for so long that if you have a 16:9 flatscreen TV then your set probably has CEC built-in, even if they are using some confusing internal branding instead of simply calling it CEC.

    but CEC is flaky at best.

    I just bought a 2016 model TV and sound bar, both which have CEC. And they don't work with the AppleTV4.  They work 50% of the time only. And yes I did change the settings on the TV, AppleTV, and soundbar.

    CEC turns on my TV when I turn on the AppleTV. But it does not turn off my TV when I put the AppleTV to sleep. The work around is I make my TV shutdown automatically after 10 minutes without a signal. I could not figure out a work around for my soundbar so I returned it.
    That's not an issue with CEC, that's an issue with your HW's implementation of CEC, or possibly your HDMI cable(s) or other components between your TV and Apple TV. The CEC protocol is solid.
  • Reply 12 of 22
    Soli said:
    Soli said:
    Simplifying and integrating the AppleTV boot up with TV makers (I.e., TV automatically switches inputs when AppleTV is turned on) and making sign-ins easier with key content players will be much better "sales drivers," IMHO.
    As Rayz2016 eludes, HDMI-CEC has been available in the Apple TV since the 4th gen. CEC has been around for so long that if you have a 16:9 flatscreen TV then your set probably has CEC built-in, even if they are using some confusing internal branding instead of simply calling it CEC.

    Thanks, I'll try that. Are there any instructions posted anywhere on how to implement CEC for AppleTV?

    More generally, why can't this feature be integrated into the AppleTV -- it should be possible to do via software, no?
    I think it's automatic, but you need to 1) have a TV that has CEC, and 2) have your TV set to switch when it receives the CEC input from the HDMI cable connected to the Apple TV.

    Reposed with your brand and model and we get it worked out.
    Thanks. I'll try it out this evening. Seriously, don't you think it would be a very useful feature for the average non-techy user to be able to implement via AppleTV Settings?

    Incidentally, does it automatically switch back when AppleTV is shut down? 

    Add: Just saw @sog35's response to you on this issue. That does not sound good. If something like what he brings up is then case, it does not seem to me to be all that complicated for Apple to work with the main TV-manufacturers to somehow try and integrate and simplify this functionality (which was my original post).
    edited November 2016
  • Reply 13 of 22
    sog35 said:
    rwes said:
    PlayStation Vue is amazing and between my Roku, Chromecast, Xbox One and Smart TV, I really have no reason to get a Apple TV. There's nothing it'll provide that I don't already have even though I can get a nice discount on one. 
    IMO, what's nice about the Apple TV, is it replaces Roku, Chromecast and the Smart (portion) of a Smart TV. And for me, it replaces an Xbox One too, but I can see why for heavy gamers, it wouldn't. I don't switch inputs anymore. Have been a Sling user for abit, but had not tried Vue. Have to admin, the Vue interface is slicker. Going to try DirectTV now soon too and see how it compares. With Hulu's expected launch, I really like how the space is heating up.

    Only thing that's missing that I use is Amazon Prime Video/Music (Native tvOS app), but I personally then just use Prime Video/Music less and use others instead.

    My Smart TV's do not get frequent (just about any) feature updates/additions from the manufacturer (and I really like the manufacturer).
    exactly the point

    The AppleTV was designed to replace single purpose devices - Bluray players, CD players, Cable boxes, game system, smartTV hardware, and video streamers.

    Roku and Chromcast are cute budget devices but they lack many features and services that AppleTV offers. Plus they are not nicely intergrated into the Apple ecosystem. For me gaming on AppleTV is all I need. I don't need a standalone game system.

    Just as the iPhone replaced multiple devices - voice recorder, digital camera, CD player, PDA, ect. So will the AppleTV replace a ton of home devices.
    That's cute and all but we are a gaming household. With a PlayStation and Xbox One that have games that we love to play that the Apple TV as of now will not even come close to be able to have. Not everyone is as simple as your household. We like the PlayStation VR which is great and the games on Xbox. Plus I'm a huge fan of Amazon Prime with the new show The Grand Tour. 

    I have no problem with integration because everything I do works seamlessly and effortlessly. Stream music, I just say Hey Google play whatever I want to listen to and it automatically starts playing through my sound system. All my pictures and videos show easily through the Chromecast which is great to show new pics of my girlfriend and I when the family comes over. 

    I buy all movies digitally through ultraviolet, Vudu or Disney Movie Anywhere so that's not an issue at all. So everything you mentioned I can do within one or two taps of a button or just speak it and the Google Home will play it. 
  • Reply 14 of 22
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,301member
    jingo said:
    Apple have really missed the boat with TV, and I cannot see how they will recover from this in the TV space. They have paid too little attention to it and allowed everyone else to overtake them. This is part of why I have just sold all my Apple shares even though I keep on using their products - they are in real danger of being marginalised in an increasingly android-dominated world. It hasn't happened yet, but personally I don't see any serious evidence of them understanding what it takes to be at the leading edge, and if you're not at the leading edge marginalisation in the future is a serious threat. Just going on doing what you have done before like Apple are doing is not an option, and what's more others are doing a better job of forging relationships than Apple nowadays which will give Apple's competitors a big prime mover lead. I wonder whether the bottleneck is Jonny Ive? Maybe he just can't design any more products than they are producing now. Possibly they are so well- ( or over-, take your pick) designed that there is no spare bandwidth for new categories of products?
    I don't see how Apple is behind! Why by copying what everyone else is doing. Which is really the same old thing. Bundles of channels for a set price. Same thing Cable and Satellite company's have always done. A bunch of channels you may not want and yet still forced to pay for. Especially costly channels like ESPN. To get the channels you want, you have to pay out even more money! That goes for all of them including Sling. you want the other Sport channels, that's another $5. Maybe the Syfy channel, well it's in this other package, that's another $5. Yep, SAME CRAP!!!! Unless Apple can do a A-La-Cart type thing where I can pick my channels I want, there's no point. So say HSN is a free channel and others may be $1 or $5, or $15. Let the channels set whatever price they want Apple to charge. Will it be $15 for ESPN? Maybe they want free to get more viewers as they still get paid by the commercials they show. Maybe if you pick 10 channels, you get a bundle discount. The point being, if Apple is just doing the same as everyone else, why the hell would I want to start giving Apple my money instead of Comcast or SlingTV or whoever else? You can still watch all that content on the AppleTV anyway. It's not like SlingTV is making a box. Really as a cable cutter, none of these current services will ever get me to sign up. Better yet, why not just create a App like the CW did where I can watch all their content for FREE without a cable or Satellite subscription!!! Once in Apple's guide, I can watch what I want, when I want for free and skip the middle man. Because I'm using their app, I'm forced to sit through those commercials. That makes me a higher rated viewer as there's no DVR skipping of any kind. Some of you are really just stuck in the PAST with going along with the same old, same old.
  • Reply 15 of 22
    PlayStation Vue is amazing and between my Roku, Chromecast, Xbox One and Smart TV, I really have no reason to get a Apple TV. There's nothing it'll provide that I don't already have even though I can get a nice discount on one. 
    Which of those devices streams back your purchased iTunes content? Or current iphone camera roll? I'm guessing none of them, which means the the ATV does provide something you don't already have.
    edited November 2016
  • Reply 16 of 22
    calicali Posts: 3,494member
    sog35 said:
    rwes said:
    PlayStation Vue is amazing and between my Roku, Chromecast, Xbox One and Smart TV, I really have no reason to get a Apple TV. There's nothing it'll provide that I don't already have even though I can get a nice discount on one. 
    IMO, what's nice about the Apple TV, is it replaces Roku, Chromecast and the Smart (portion) of a Smart TV. And for me, it replaces an Xbox One too, but I can see why for heavy gamers, it wouldn't. I don't switch inputs anymore. Have been a Sling user for abit, but had not tried Vue. Have to admin, the Vue interface is slicker. Going to try DirectTV now soon too and see how it compares. With Hulu's expected launch, I really like how the space is heating up.

    Only thing that's missing that I use is Amazon Prime Video/Music (Native tvOS app), but I personally then just use Prime Video/Music less and use others instead.

    My Smart TV's do not get frequent (just about any) feature updates/additions from the manufacturer (and I really like the manufacturer).
    exactly the point

    The AppleTV was designed to replace single purpose devices - Bluray players, CD players, Cable boxes, game system, smartTV hardware, and video streamers.

    Roku and Chromcast are cute budget devices but they lack many features and services that AppleTV offers. Plus they are not nicely intergrated into the Apple ecosystem. For me gaming on AppleTV is all I need. I don't need a standalone game system.

    Just as the iPhone replaced multiple devices - voice recorder, digital camera, CD player, PDA, ect. So will the AppleTV replace a ton of home devices.
    That's cute and all but we are a gaming household. With a PlayStation and Xbox One that have games that we love to play that the Apple TV as of now will not even come close to be able to have. Not everyone is as simple as your household. We like the PlayStation VR which is great and the games on Xbox. Plus I'm a huge fan of Amazon Prime with the new show The Grand Tour. 

    I have no problem with integration because everything I do works seamlessly and effortlessly. Stream music, I just say Hey Google play whatever I want to listen to and it automatically starts playing through my sound system. All my pictures and videos show easily through the Chromecast which is great to show new pics of my girlfriend and I when the family comes over. 

    I buy all movies digitally through ultraviolet, Vudu or Disney Movie Anywhere so that's not an issue at all. So everything you mentioned I can do within one or two taps of a button or just speak it and the Google Home will play it. 
    How do you access your iTunes library?

    How do you say "Google stop spying on us!"?

    Do you need iKnockoff devicess for Goog home compatibility?
    imagine replacing these pieces of sh** every 6 months...

    shitty setup. 
  • Reply 17 of 22
    rwesrwes Posts: 200member
    sog35 said:

    Why would people want an AppleTV? Because is an all in one solution. I literally only have my AppleTV hooked up to my TV. No cable box, no game system, no Bluray player, no CD player, ect. One device for everything.  Plus I get all my photo's, video's, apps, from the Apple ecosystem. No changing inputs, no audio receiver, no confusion. 


    What do you do for Amazon, say, if you want to watch The Grand Tour?
    AirPlay, via iPad or iPhone. And not AirPlay Mirroring; the Amazon iOS Apps support full AirPlay for Audio and Video allowing the device pushing the content to be 'asleep'.
    edited November 2016
  • Reply 18 of 22
    SoliSoli Posts: 10,035member
    sog35 said:
    CEC is a crapshoot at this point.
    You're blaming CEC because you've had an issue with a particular Vizio TV? Really? I guess WiFi sucks for everyone because someone bought a shitty router that doesn't work well with their devices¡
  • Reply 19 of 22
    rwes said:
    sog35 said:

    Why would people want an AppleTV? Because is an all in one solution. I literally only have my AppleTV hooked up to my TV. No cable box, no game system, no Bluray player, no CD player, ect. One device for everything.  Plus I get all my photo's, video's, apps, from the Apple ecosystem. No changing inputs, no audio receiver, no confusion. 


    What do you do for Amazon, say, if you want to watch The Grand Tour?
    AirPlay, via iPad or iPhone. And not AirPlay Mirroring; the Amazon iOS Apps support full AirPlay for Audio and Video allowing the device pushing the content to be 'asleep'.
    When I Airplay from the iPad or the iPhone, the color balance never looks right (given my default TV settings). It's fine for the equivalent of a YouTube video or a quick, 5-minute family video, but not for watching a movie or a one-hour show. In fact, it's far better to view it on the iPad in that case.
  • Reply 20 of 22
    PlayStation Vue is amazing and between my Roku, Chromecast, Xbox One and Smart TV, I really have no reason to get a Apple TV. There's nothing it'll provide that I don't already have even though I can get a nice discount on one. 
    Which of those devices streams back your purchased iTunes content? Or current iphone camera roll? I'm guessing none of them, which means the the ATV does provide something you don't already have.
    Well since I don't purchase content from iTunes because it's locked to iTunes/Apple that's not an issue. Ultraviolet/Vudu is the only way I purchase content so I can use it on any device I want whenever I want. Camera roll? Well Google Photos takes care of that and I'm once again able to see my photos on whatever device I want. I love my iPhone but there is no way I'm going to lock my content to Apple and only be able to use a Apple product to view my purchases or personal content. 
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