Apple is moving forward with its Web TV service as talks with main networks are “rapidly gaining momentum”,  The New York Post reports. According to The Post, Apple is currently in talks with ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox and it wants to launch the “as-yet-unnamed” service as soon as the late fall.

“The platform is ready and it rocks,” said one source.

Sources say that Apple wants to offer on the service local live TV feeds streamed on any Apple device.

Cable channels, including Discovery, will likely be part of the package as well — “as will ESPN, if Apple gets its way, sources said.”

The price of the service has not yet been decided. According to the “industry sources” it may range from $10 to $40 a month. The Wall Street Journal reported back in March that it will cost $30-$40 a month.

Apple is also expected to launch the next Apple TV model in the fall, with a slimmer profile, new operating system and interface, support for Siri and its own App Store.

Yesterday, Comcast unveiled its live Web TV streaming service called Stream.

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The Apple TV streaming service has been talked about so much in the last 24 hours that it is almost visible on the horizon. In case you missed it, Apple is rumored to be working on their own $30-$40 video service, which is set to be launched somewhere around September.

It seems that Apple is currently in talks with content owners like Fox, ESPN, Disney, CBS and more, to get their programming on board for the streaming service. And according to New York Post, to make dealings go in the right direction, Apple is even promising viewer details like their personal info, watching habits, and locations, to program owners.

The company is willing to share details on who its viewers are, what they watch and when they watch it to entice broadcast networks and others to go along with the service, sources said. [..]

“They’re allowing a lot more decision-making by the content owner,” said one source familiar with the talks, adding that Apple has told potential partners, “It’s up to you, whatever you guys want to do.”

This data will be used by content providers to localize niche audience and better target their ads.

But such a move sounds odd to come from Apple, as they have always upheld user privacy. It is worth noting that other providers like Netflix and Amazon have previously turned down similar requests from content providers, on their corresponding streaming services. This makes it even less likely for Apple to entertain the demand for user data.

If this turns out to be true, it will show how badly Apple wanted their streaming service to get off the ground. But even if Apple caves, the service will probably come with an ‘Opt out’ option, in case you don’t want your watching habits to be tracked.

Read more on the Apple TV Streaming Service and the HBO NOW service which is coming to Apple TV next month.

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I woke up this morning to the news of two major content additions to Apple TV. This has been a routine lately but the difference here is that neither of these adds a new channel icon to the home screen, but instead streams within existing apps. Thank God they do!

First and the more exiting one is that The Oscars will be available for live stream first time ever. Yep! ABC is bringing live telecast of the Academy Awards night and the ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live: After the Oscars‘ show to the Watch ABC channel on Apple TV and the corresponding iOS app. But apparently not everyone is entitled to the privilege as they’ve laid down a pretty complex and long list of restrictions on who can access the stream.

The show’s livestream will be available to Watch ABC authenticated users through eight providers: Comcast, Cablevision, Cox Communications, Charter Communications, Midcontinent Communications, Verizon FiOS, Google Fiber and AT&T U-verse. The service is available only in ABC’s eight owned-station markets: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and Fresno, Calif.

To know whether you can watch the content or what you need to do the get access, visit this link. However if you can’t get it, a special highlights show ‘Oscars Backstage‘ will be released soon after the event for all users.

Coming to the other half, ESPN has added about 15 Collegiate Sports Conference channels to its WatchESPN channels on Apple TV. Thankfully, these are much less complicated than the former as anyone can follow their favourite College conferences with just a click.

The included channels are America East, Atlantic Sun, Big South, Big West, MEAC, SWAC, CIA, Horizon, MAC, MAAC, Missouri Valley, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Southern, Sun Belt and Southland.

However analysts are confused to see the ACC Network among these new channels ‘coz this sports streaming giant was rumoured to be in talks with ESPN for a full-fledged dedicated network. Anyway, these channels are planned to cover more than 2000 men’s and women’s events starting with the Basketball tournament.

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You might remember the latest over-the-air content update for the second and third generation Apple TV, released a couple of days back. This introduced some new apps like VEVO, Disney Channel, Disney XD, The Whether channel and Smithsonian. On closer scrutiny, users have pointed out brand new channels in the refreshed WatchESPN app.

Launched in April 2011, WatchESPN has been bringing sports content online through browsers and to mobile devices via dedicated apps. This is a streaming client which provides access to multiple channels, after validating with an authorized cable operator. Till now, the apps for Apple TV and iOS have been limited to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Goal line.

Thanks to this update, ESPNEWS and ESPN Deportes will be available for subscribers on Apple TV. ESPNEWS  “complement ESPN and ESPN2’s increasing event and show programming with a narrower news and highlights format. It has retained that focus while adding replays and time-shifted episodes of news and information programs“. While, ESPN Deportes is the Spanish sports channel that focus on Hispanic cable users.

ESPN Deportes – first launched in January 2004 and currently available in more than 5.8 million Nielsen Hispanic cable households nationwide – is a 24-hour Spanish-language sports network devoted to serving the U.S. Latino sports fans by offering high-quality, culturally relevant sports programming.  The network currently provides the most diverse sports programming available on Spanish-language television and more than 117 hours of original studio content every week. Live events include: Mexican League Soccer (Liga and Copa MX), 2014 & 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, UEFA Europa League, International Friendlies, Spain’s Supercopa & Copa del Rey Final, MLS, Brazilian League Soccer, UEFA European Football Championship (Euro2016), Euro 2016 qualifying matches, Dutch League, Major League Baseball, Caribbean Series, NFL’s Monday Night Football, the College Football Bowl Championship Series, NBA, exclusive telecast of Friday Night Fights, among others.

WatchESPN is currently accessible to fans who receive ESPN’s linear networks as part of their video subscription from Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Verizon FiOS TV, Comcast Xfinity TV, Midcontinent Communications, Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Cox, Charter or AT&T U-verse (coming soon to NRTC members’ customers).

ESPNEWS and ESPN Deportes  are among the most viewed channels of the sports media giant and hence, ESPN seems serious about the audience across all screens. These new channels are now available on the iOS app too. On the other hand, Apple has also been busy with the content on Apple TV, as we’re hearing a lot of rumors on Apple’s own cable service in cooperation with Time Warner.

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ESPN has finally updated its WatchESPN app with AirPlay support. The update includes AirPlay support for all channels (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN3) and support for AirPlay in background. This is a great news for sports fans and the owners of older iDevices that don’t support AirPlay mirroring feature.

The free WatchESPN iPhone, iPad and iPod touch app gives you 24/7 access to live streaming feeds from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNU. The app features:

Live streaming access to the top events from the ESPN family of networks, including:
* NBA Regular Season and Playoffs
* Major League Baseball
* The Masters, US Open and The Open Championships
* College Football and Basketball
* Barclay’s Premier League, Spanish Primera Division and Euro 2012 Soccer
* All 4 Grand Slam tennis events
…and thousands more live events airing on the ESPN networks

Up-to-the-minute news, highlights and analysis with live streaming access to your favorite ESPN shows, including:
* SportsCenter
* PTI
* Mike & Mike
* SportsNation
* Baseball Tonight
…and every other ESPN original show

Note: Access to WatchESPN live video is determined by your TV provider and, in some instances, your internet service provider.

WatchESPN is a free download from the App Store.

Also read:
How to watch live sports on Apple TV
Watch live sports on Apple TV with SportsDevil XBMC video addon

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Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Best Accessories for Apple TV

Wondering how to watch live sport streaming on Apple TV? The answer is easy: XBMC, AirPlay, Mac/PC screen mirroring and, of course, native Apple TV sport apps. Finding football, baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, UFC, WWF, or anything else on your Apple TV can feel like and impossible task to anyone one who sits down and sees the limited options in Apple iOS interface, with its limited content partnerships. Though it looks bleak there is a very bright cloud to this quandary and that is the never-ending combination of features we can through at this magical little box.

XBMC

If you have read any of my other pieces, you already know that I am an XBMC fan-boy. XBMC is the best thing to happen to the Apple TV for many reasons, the least of which being its ability to stream live sports content. There are many addons that can be found at forums.xbmc.org to fill your gaming needs! Here is a list of the most popular, stable tools:

• SportsDevil

This is easily one of the more popular, and better-known, add-ons when it comes to sports and XBMC. This add-on is great because it works 95% of the time. I have only ever missed one college game with SportsDevil. This add-on is free and there is no charge for connecting to the streams it makes available.

Download SportsDevil addon (note: you’ll need to add the Max Mustermann repository to get SportsDevil working on your Apple TV.)

Read more about SportsDevil

• LiveTV

This is another great source for sporting content. The truth is, if you want to view a LIVE TV event… one of your best bets would be to view it via this Live TV add-on. With in this add-on you are able to choose different categories of TV, specifically Sports. You are then given a large list of links for currently streaming sports channels: ESPN, CBS, NBC, etc. And again… this add-on is free to use.

Download LiveTV addon

• Navi-X

Navi-X is one of the best tools, yet sometimes tricky to utilize. This add-on often has more links than any other source out there for LIVE streaming TV and specifically SPORTS. The trick is finding them. If you are unfamiliar with Navi-X you will simply want to use the search feature found on the main screen. Otherwise, often you can scroll through the MOST POPULAR OVER THE PAST 24 HOURS and you will see all of the Live Sports Streams posted on this page.

Download Navi-X addon

Check out this tutorial to learn how to install XBMC addons on Apple TV (1st and 2nd generation).

AirPlay

If XBMC is the best thing to happen to the apple TV, AirPlay is certainly the second best! Quite often you can find the game you want on apps that are available in the AppStore for you iOS device (iPhone, iPod, iPad). With these apps, or perhaps a webpage link, you are able to AirPlay content from your mobile device’s screen to your Apple TV, or even XBMC on your Apple TV, without skipping a beat.

• Justin.TV (iOS)

Justin.TV is a long time king of live sports streams. Though this app can be more hit and miss than its XBMC counterparts, it does often have what you are looking for. Simply download the app, search for the game, and choose the AirPlay option to through the video to your Apple TV.

• CBS SPORTS (iOS)

Get CBS Sports for iPhone! The app delivers comprehensive news, video and scores for MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, Golf, Tennis, NASCAR, College hoops and more. Follow your favorite team and sport, and catch up on the latest news, scores, stats and video highlights of the day. Plus, the app offers live streaming College Basketball and Football

• TO MANY TO COUNT (iOS)

To be fair, when it comes to the ability to AirPlay there is a limitless number of options that are available in the form of the AppStore apps. For this reason, here is a link to the AppStore offering all of the apps labeled “sports”.

• Android 

Though Android devices do not have the iOS 5 feature of AirPlay built in, XBMC does! With this remote installed on your mobile device, you can send any “ONLINE” video content to your XBMC installation on your Apple TV. This is true AirPlay functionality with out the name, or the help of Apple.

Holiday Gift Guide 2015: Best Accessories for Apple TV

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