Apple has just announced on its Spring Forward event that it became an exclusive launch partner for a standalone HBO NOW streaming service, which is set to debut on Apple TV in April.

We reported on this a few days back, but things became official today when Richard Plepler, CEO at Home Box Office, took the stage during the event and announced the long-awaited streaming service.

Along with the Apple TV, Mac, iPhone and iPad apps will also pick up HBO NOW channel.

You will be able to cut the cord completely, as there is no need of any cable subscriptions. All you need is a broadband connection and an Apple device, says Plepler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQEhY_MJk9M

The service will carry all HBO original programming, Hollywood movies, HBO films, short films and documentaries, sports and music, and more.

Similar to HBO GO, HBO NOW will offer more than 2,000 titles online. This includes current critically acclaimed series like Game of Thrones, True Detective, Silicon Valley, Girls, Veep and The Leftovers, as well as classics like The Sopranos, Sex and the City, True Blood, The Wire and Deadwood.

In addition, HBO NOW will showcase Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, named “best of 2014″ on many critics’ lists;VICE, the Emmy-winning, cutting-edge news magazine series hosted by Shane Smith; HBO Sports documentaries, series and World Championship Boxing events; and groundbreaking documentary programming like Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst and the Oscar-winning Citizenfour.”

Plepler took the best route to make sure he had everyone’s attention. They clubbed its demo with an exclusive trailer of the next Game of Thrones season, which premieres on April 12th.

The service will be available starting this April for $14.99 a month. And to give you the extra push, HBO NOW offers a free one month trial if you sign up with an Apple device this April.

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

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Apple Events channel has just appeared on the Apple TV main menu ahead of today’s Spring Forward Apple event.

Live streaming will be available on a second- and third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later.

Should Apple TV users be excited about the Apple Watch event? Read here.

Today’s event kicks off at 10am PST / 11am MST / 12pm CT / 1pm EST for the US, with the international times for the keynote as follows:

• London – 5:00 p.m.
• Paris – 6:00 p.m.
• Berlin – 6:00 p.m.
• Tokyo – 2:00 a.m. (Tuesday)
• Sydney – 4:00 a.m. (Tuesday)
• Auckland – 6:00 a.m. (Tuesday)

In addition to the Apple TV, the Apple Watch event will be available live on iOS devices and Macs through at https://apple.com/live.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ for all the latest Apple TV-related news from the event.

Also read: Apple finishing up work on a new, slimmer Apple TV with App Store

The post Apple Events channel goes live on Apple TV for today’s event livestream appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.

For the past half a year, rumors had been continuously pointing towards a March, 2015 launch of the much awaited Apple TV 4. And when the Spring Forward event was announced to be held on March 9th, many of us hoped the revolutionary new Apple TV to be Tim Cook’s One more thing for this event.

Althought 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman reports that the refreshed Apple TV won’t make an appearance on the Monday’s event, the good news is that according to his sources, “Apple is finishing up work on a slimmer Apple TV set-top-box with a more capable and tactile remote control and a redesigned operating system bundled with an App Store.”

Though the launch date for Apple TV 4 is not available, Gurman expects it to be released in Q4, judging by other products in Apple’s 2015 pipeline.

The reason for this delay remains the same as before – “the content roadblocks”, as Apple is struggling to obtain rights from multiple content owners and broadcasters.

Except for the release dates, his report on the next Apple TV is consistent with what we’ve heard before. The new Apple TV will sport a new design and come packed with its own App Store.

The Apple TV 4 will have a thinner footprint and the remote will be more capable and tactile, sources say.

The next Apple TV will also have the current Beats Music channel replaced by a standalone Beats streaming service too.

The new iTunes music streaming service is based on technology acquired from Beats Music, including curated playlists, cloud-based libraries, and offerings customized to the musical tastes of individual users. The service will be priced as high as $7.99 per month, which is less expensive than current $9.99 pricing for Beats Music, Spotify, and Rdio.

Despite all these reports, if you’re feeling really optimistic about the March 9 event, you can catch it live directly on your Apple TV.

Even if the Apple TV 4 isn’t announced, there’s enough reasons for us to celebrate the Apple Watch launch as I have discussed in this post.

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

The post Apple finishing up work on a new, slimmer Apple TV with App Store 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.

Apple announced on its website that it will live stream March 9th event through a dedicated channel on Apple TV.

Streaming will be available on a second- and third-generation Apple TV with software 6.2 or later.

The keynote kicks off at 10 a.m. PDT on Monday, March 9th.

Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ for all the latest news from the event.

The post Apple to live stream March 9th “Spring Forward” event on Apple TV appeared first on Apple TV Hacks.