Apple just updated the Events channel on the Apple TV announcing that they will stream the WWDC 2015 keynote live on June 8th, at 10 am Pacific Time.

This isn’t something new. Whenever Apple decides to broadcast their events, Apple TV users get to enjoy it via the Events channel. However, this time things are a bit different.

Usually in such cases, Apple updates their website first, at apple.com/live, announcing the live stream to be available on the web and iOS devices. We then have to wait a couple of days or even till a few hours before the event for the Events channel to be updated on the Apple TV.

This time Apple has refreshed the Apple TV channel a week before the event and, more interestingly, there is no sign of the announcement on their website yet. This might be an indication as to how special the event would be for Apple TV users. Is it yet another proof that the Apple TV 4 will be launched at the event?

Apple has a long history of hiding major event highlights in their invites, illustrations and tag lines. This might very well be one of those. Even in the WWDC 2015 logo, observant users swear that the background square with rounded edges refers to the next Apple TV’s footprint.

In the end, these omens just confirm our previous reports that the Apple TV 4 will be unveiled on Monday. We believe it to be slimmer, pack a redesigned interface and a new OS with support for Siri and third party apps.

Read more on Apple TV 4 specs, hardware, remote, OS and release date.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Apple will livestream WWDC 2015 keynote via the refreshed Events channel on Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Just a week after Apple added new channels to the Apple TV in several countries across the world, the tiny black set-top box got a new content once again, this time in Australia, Japan, UK, Ireland and Scandinavia.

Here’s a complete list:

• Viaplay (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden): live sports, movies, TV series, children’s programs;
• Stan (Australia): streaming service offering subscription to unlimited viewing of selected movies and TV shows;
• WWE Wrestling Network (UK, Ireland): WWE Network brings all their twelve Pay-per-view streams including WrestleMania and WCW, the complete home video library, selected weekly matches and some specials; available for unlimited 24×7 streaming;
• Bandai (Japan): a local, subscription-based network offering localized shows and anime.

All channels are available as an automatic over-the-air update, no software update required.

Also read: Apple TV 4 to be introduced in June

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Apple TV gains new channels in Australia, Japan and Europe appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Apple has added a whole bunch of new channels to the Apple TV yesterday. Here is a full list of all new channels:

• CBS Sports (worldwide; free)
• USA Now (US, cable subscription required)
• Shomi (Canada; available to Roger’s and Telus Optik TV subscribers for $8.99/month)
• Crave TV (Canada; available to Bell subscribers for $4/month)
• Arte (Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland; free)
• FOX Sports (Australia, $4.99/week)
• Hopster TV (UK; £3.99/month)

All channels are available as an automatic over-the-air update, no software update required.

Also read: Apple TV 4 to be introduced in June with web-based TV service and a new remote with touchpad

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Apple adds new channels to Apple TV in US, Canada, Europe and Australia appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Apple TV has just gained a new CNNgo channel featuring live streaming and on-demand content. CNNgo requires a subscription to a participating pay-TV partner for viewing live content and full shows, while the short clips can be watched without a cable subscription.

Pay-TV customers can log in for access to Live TV and Shows, such as CNN Original Series Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, Finding Jesus, Mike Rowe’s Sombody’s Gotta Do It,Morgan Spurlock Inside Man, This is Life with Lisa Ling, The Wonder List with Bill Weir and Anderson Cooper’s nightly news program, AC 360°.

All users of Apple TV can enjoy a collection of hand-curated clips by topic – from world and politics to entertainment and tech – in the Must See section.

This marks the first Turner brand to launch on Apple TV. CNNgo’s launch on Apple TV joins CNN’s current offerings on CNN.com and on the CNN app for iPad.

This Apple TV offering refresh comes just a day after Apple added TED Talks, Tastemade and Young Hollywood channels to its set-top box.

On a similar note, Apple is working on their own standalone streaming service, and the HBO NOW service is coming to Apple TV next month. Also, Apple TV 4 with a new interface, upgraded specs, own App Store and Siri integration is expected to be unveiled in June.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post CNNgo channel added to Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

The wait is finally over Down Under. As promised by Netflix, their streaming service has just opened doors to media lovers in Australia and New Zealand. And that means, Apple TV users in these countries will have a new favorite channel on their homescreens from now on.

You can sign up directly on Apple TV (or on web) for a free one month trial but you will need to attach the iTunes account or credit card info for future payments.

Netflix plans in Australia are as follows:

• single-stream access to standard definition content: A$8.99/month;
• two-stream high-definition access: A$11.99/month;
• four-stream Ultra HD access: A$14.99/month.

MacRumors has noticed that the Australia and New Zealand Netflix catalogs are not the same as the US one.

Movies like The Wolf of Wall Street, Silver Linings Playbook, World War Z, and The Croods are available on Netflix in the U.S., but are not available in Australia and New Zealand.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, Australian Netflix has several thousand fewer titles than the U.S. version of the service, but it has 693 shows that are not available in the U.S. or Canada.

Netflix announced however that the content available in Australia and New Zeland will improve over time as they make new deals with TV Shows and movie distributors.

Meanwhile, if you really want to gain access to the complete US Netflix catalog, you can follow our guide: How to watch Netflix on Apple TV outside the US.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Netflix lands on Apple TV in Australia and New Zealand appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Nowadays, it seems like a routine when a new set of new channels gets added to the Apple TV. This time we have three channels, namely TED Talks, Tastemade and Young Hollywood.

TED is the channel which I am really glad to see on my Apple TV. It features lectures and presentations by thousands of people who want to make a difference, to share their story, to inspire, to awe and much more. Their Apple TV channel comes with a stylish home screen, a talks section for browsing different categories and a tab of TED’s featured playlists.

Tastemade channel which calls itself a “food and travel lifestyle network” is of course, mostly about cuisines and cooking shows.

Young Hollywood channel features music, lifestyle, movies, sports and fashion. It packs a featured tab as home screen, shows section for originals like Pop Culture Underground and Amp’d Up, and a studio tab for browsing various artists and genres.

All three channels are completely free to stream.

But if any of these don’t make any sense to you, follow our guide on how to easily hide unwanted channel icons on Apple TV.

On a similar note, Apple is working on their own standalone streaming service, and the HBO NOW service is coming to Apple TV next month. Also, Apple TV 4 with a new interface, upgraded specs, own App Store and Siri integration is expected to be unveiled in June.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post TED Talks, Tastemade and Young Hollywood channels appear on Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

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.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Apple streaming service will reportedly share user data with content providers appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

As we reported yesterday, Apple is currently working on a streaming service, similar to the Sling TV and Sony Veu, which will let you pay a premium ($30-$40) per month and watch selected bundles of channels. However, many of us were disappointed that NBC channels were not present in the reported feature Apple’s online service offering. But according to new reports, NBC still wants a piece of the Apple TV user base as they are planning to release a standalone NBC app later this year.

According to 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman, a reliable source from NBC informed that they are currently working on an Apple TV channel, which works similar to other existing ones, and is scheduled to come out in the second half of 2015. The image below, captured from an internal NBC presentation for employees, depicts their 2015 roadmap and Apple TV can be seen on the right top.

But there is a catch. Like many of the existing channels, you’ll need to sign in with a supported cable provider account to gain access to all the NBC goodness. So if you’re planning to cut the cord completely when Apple launches their streaming service, be prepared to lose NBC.

According to the source, NBC Universal is still in negotiations with local affiliate networks across the United States to ensure that cable box customers will be able to verify themselves across the country on the Apple TV.

The NBC Apple TV app will allow customers to “tune into local news and syndicated programming” at no additional cost, according to the source.

In addition to Apple TV, the NBC channels will also make an appearance on the Amazon Fire TV and XBox during the same period and their iOS app will gain Chromecast support.

On a similar note, HBO NOW streaming service will be available on the Apple TV in April and a new thinner Apple TV 4 with fresh interface and standalone AppStore is expected later this year.

Add the Apple streaming service and NBC channel to the mix, and Apple TV fans have a wonderful rest of the year ahead to look forward to.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post NBC channel for Apple TV is coming in second half of 2015 appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

It seems they’ve started delivering on it as iFun notes that the channel now shows up in United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, Hungary and other European countries.

Users also confirm the channel is now available in Brazil and Mexico.

ABC News sports both live breaking news coverage as well as on-demand videos to be streamed at will. At any moment, there are four different streams available, so that users can follow the genre of news they really care about.

It also opens access to a plethora of videos in ABC’s gigantic archives including “This Week in History” and “The Day in Pictures”. And quite surprisingly, this ABC News channel brings local broadcasts from many US cities also.

This includes content from WABC (New York), KABC (Los Angeles), WLS (Chicago), WPVI (Philadelphia), KGO (San Francisco), KTRK (Houston), WTVD (Raleigh), KFSN (Fresno) and WISN (Milwaukee).

The best part is that unlike the WatchABC channel on Apple TV, ABC News can be streamed completely free of charge. Yeah, no need of any paid subscription or any supported cable provider account.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news

The post ABC News now available on Apple TV in UK, Germany, France, Sweden and many other European countries appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

Apple will be hosting (and live streaming) an event on March 9. Judging by Apple’s track record of cryptic invites, the “Spring Forward” tagline shouts out that the event will be mostly about the Apple Watch. But there are some goodies hidden somewhere here for us Apple TV users, too.

First of all, let’s hope for Apple TV 4. While Apple Watch is sure to take the center stage, the possibility of an Apple TV refresh cannot be ruled out yet. Apple’s beloved ex-hobby device‘s refresh is too much delayed and reliable rumors point to an imminent launch.

As iMore’s Rene Ritchie notes, the Spring event of 2012 is when we saw the last Apple TV get announced and he wouldn’t be surprised if it takes the stage this year as well.

Apple has had spring events before [..] The last Apple TV was introduced at the last spring iPad event. Rumor has it there’s a new Apple TV in the works.

Secondly, the release of the Apple Watch will open up a whole new range of possibilities for existing Apple TVs. Your little black box may be able to do much more, once you have Cupertino’s smart watch on your wrist. This includes using Apple Watch as a remote for your Apple TV or AirPlaying music and photos to it.

I have discussed this in detail in an earlier post – Apple Watch and AirPlay: what Apple’s smartwatch means to Apple TV users.

Anyway, only next Monday will tell us what lies behind that veil and how Apple TV users will benefit from it. By the way, you will be able to watch the March 9 event directly on your Apple TV via an Events channel which will get added to your home screen soon.

Live streaming video requires Safari 5.1.10 or later on OS X v10.6.8 or later; Safari on iOS 6.0 or later. Streaming via Apple TV requires second- or third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later.

You can visit Apple’s dedicated subsite and get a reminder for the event with just a click.

Be sure to follow Apple TV Hacks on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news.

The post Should Apple TV users be excited about the Apple Watch event? appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.