Watch ABC Apple TV channel update brings full episode viewing for all users
In an update to its Watch ABC app for Apple TV, ABC is allowing access to full-length episodes one week after they air, even to users who do not log in with TV provider credentials.
The television network announced the change through its website on Thursday, notifying users that all Apple TV owners are now able to watch recently aired full episodes without logging in. Prior to today's update, viewers would need to provide a cable TV or other appropriate login to watch full streaming content.
In addition to serving up shows like Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, Modern Family, black-ish, Once Upon A Time and Castle, the Watch ABC app for Apple TV received a UI makeover that places new content front and center, includes more short form video and introduces a continuous play mode, the company said.
Subscribers of participating TV services who choose to log in are granted access to next-day episode streaming, while viewers living in Chicago, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham and San Francisco have access to a 24-hour live feed. Certain providers also accommodate on demand features.
The television network announced the change through its website on Thursday, notifying users that all Apple TV owners are now able to watch recently aired full episodes without logging in. Prior to today's update, viewers would need to provide a cable TV or other appropriate login to watch full streaming content.
In addition to serving up shows like Scandal, How to Get Away With Murder, Modern Family, black-ish, Once Upon A Time and Castle, the Watch ABC app for Apple TV received a UI makeover that places new content front and center, includes more short form video and introduces a continuous play mode, the company said.
Subscribers of participating TV services who choose to log in are granted access to next-day episode streaming, while viewers living in Chicago, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham and San Francisco have access to a 24-hour live feed. Certain providers also accommodate on demand features.
Comments
Note that the cable/satellite ownership requirement for live content remains. And that DirecTV still has zero support.
Note that the cable/satellite ownership requirement for live content remains. And that DirecTV still has zero support.
I'm liking DirecTV less and less. The iOS app doesn't even let you play back recordings from your DVR to your iOS devices. Will drop DirecTV as soon as possible.
But whatever. I only watch Jeopardy on ABC. And the Olympics.
Oh wait. Not the Olympics.
Useless for sports.
But hey, the Internet is still largely useless for realtime video footage of sports, at least here in the little ol' USA.
Cord cutters rejoice!
I look forward to kicking cable TV as we know it today to the curb some day.
Time will tell.
It took the music industry years to come around to the Jobs' vision of cheap singles that discouraged piracy and encouraged discovery of new music. Now we have to wait until these idiots finally figure out that making content easy to consume will help generate more interest and eyeballs.
The trend towards more and longer commercials has to end or they will destroy their own audience.
It just takes time. Even Apple took their sweet time before realizing that free OS/iOS updates were the answer to digital utopia. There are so many unexpected benefits to having everyone happily update for free that in hindsight, it seems stupid that it was ever any other way.
Unless your business model is selling software. Apple sells hardware that supports their software. If you upgrade Apple software and find that it does not perform well then you buy new hardware. Different business model.
It's really not that difficult for a savvy cord cutter to watch live sports. I have NFL Sunday Ticket, Verizon Mobile gives me locally broadcast games, Tivo + Antennae gives me all of the networks in HD with DVR, it was easy to source a WatchESPN login from a friend, and anything else I can just stream. (not to mention I have access to HBO, Showtime, Hulu, Netflix, and all of the other Apple TV apps)
That's a lie! I own two Apple TV's (a series 2 and a series 3) and cannot watch ABC on either of them regardless of any requirements to log in. The "Watch ABC" app does not appear on either unit.
I am getting fed up with Apple and its partners advertising things as if they are available to all, when in fact they are not. Still waiting for iTunes Radio which was supposed to be available this year. They have only a few days left to rectify that lie.
"The television network announced the change through its website on Thursday, notifying users that all Apple TV owners are now able to watch recently aired full episodes without logging in."
That's a lie! I own two Apple TV's (a series 2 and a series 3) and cannot watch ABC on either of them regardless of any requirements to log in. The "Watch ABC" app does not appear on either unit.
I am getting fed up with Apple and its partners advertising things as if they are available to all, when in fact they are not. Still waiting for iTunes Radio which was supposed to be available this year. They have only a few days left to rectify that lie.
Have you ever updated it? You can set it to update automatically as well. My series 2 has all of these features, but I update it when they are available.
It's not a matter of updating, (but thanks for a suggestion offered in good faith) it's a matter of people wilfully ignoring the fact that not all Apple product users live in the U.S. I would be willing to bet that one day soon, most of the users of Apple products will be non-U.S. residents.
I would be less annoyed if the people who make statements like the one I quoted were able to understand that the U.S is not the whole World.
They could be more candid about the Balkanized nature of TV but most who care about 'foreign TV' are all too aware of the facts. In the US we experience this with BBC programs and the app for it which is only available in the UK. It was hinted that a U.S. version was in the works but that was years ago and nothing has appeared.
The real problem behind this is, as you say, entertainment content is Balkanized by the content providers - like ABC itself. (But I still wish people who make sweeping public announcements would at least try to be less ignorant.)
I know someone who lives temporarily in a foreign country. She had to set up a VPN and get a second iTunes account for that country because Apple cancelled her homeland account without warning after she purchased some content through it while in the foreign country. She did protest and eventually got her original account restored, but she shouldn't have had to jump through hoops like that.
When I visited her recently, she warned me not to buy anything on iTunes while I was abroad.
Readers of this who travel abroad might want to limit their iTunes purchases while out of their home country.
Readers of this who travel abroad might want to limit their iTunes purchases while out of their home country.
You’re pretty obviously ignoring the country in question. Why’s that?
LOL! That's not Apple's fault. Licensing and copyright issues beyond US borders fall outside of Apple's area of influence.
I am not mentioning any particular country because I think the problem of Balkanizing entertainment content is not specific to any one country.
The person who had her iTunes account cancelled without warning was told that this is done to anyone who purchases more than a small amount of new content through their iTunes account when they are doing this for an extended period of time from a country other than the one the account is registered in. Something to do with fraudulently using a foreign iTunes account. This is a real problem for people who are posted to another country, but will eventually return to live permanently in their original country.
I understand this has to do with all kinds of licensing issues, but it is a situation that I think people should be aware of if they travel abroad and stay for more than a few days.
I agree it is not Apple's fault that these complex licensing issues exist, but my original complaint was not against Apple (even though they too have made some promises they simply cannot fulfill in terms of availability of content or services - or have failed to make clear up front that these are not available in all markets). It was against ABC for claiming that "ALL" Apple TV users are now able to have full episode viewing. This is simply not true, and they should not make sweeping claims that are demonstrably and patently false, and which at best display ignorance..
No they're not. From ABC's website: "Available in the U.S. only."
To be honest, this is what I expected, but in the interest of accuracy the article should state "all US Apple TV owners". This is the Internet. It is read by people outside of the USA.
Actually, the sooner TV studios, Hollywood, etc. grasp the idea of the Internet being international and releasing content simultaneously everywhere, the sooner they'll stop losing out to the rest of the world illegally downloading content because it's not available in their country.