The Apple TV might not yet rival the hundreds of channels on your cable box, but that’s not to say they aren’t getting close. On Tuesday morning, the company added a few more options to its set-top streaming box, including some aimed at specific countries.
Two new major networks dominate the offerings, at least in the U.S. First is a CNBC channel, which streams programs from the business network in real time, as well as providing access to on demand clips of its many shows.
The second is Fox Now, which offers full episodes from the network’s broadcast shows, including the likes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Sleepy Hollow, and New Girl. It also sports bonus content, and a personalized home screen, complete with recommendations based on your viewing preferences. And if you’re a binge-watcher, you’ll be glad to know that when you finish one episode, the Fox app will automatically cue up the next one for watching, so that you can never ever escape your couch again.
Both CNBC and Fox Now require that you authenticate with cable or satellite providers before you can access certain content, so cord cutters are left out in the cold for now.
If you’re in Brazil or Norway, there are additional options that might float your boat. Brazilians get access to the country’s most watched sports channel, Esporte Interativo. It requires a $5 monthly subscription, but gives access to matches from the Champions League, Northeast Cup, Manchester United, and more. The first channel on the Apple TV that’s local to Latin America, it also provides more than 700 live events and programming from both the local region as well as internationally.
Among the fjords of Norway, Apple TV owners also can now get their sports on the Apple TV via TV 2 Sumo. It broadcasts games from the English Premier League as well as the Olympic Games. If sports aren’t your cup of akavit, TV 2 Sumo also offers other content, including dramas, news, and documentaries. There’s also access to live channels, and a kid-friendly Junior category to keep the tots occupied.
As the Apple TV continues to expand its offerings pretty regularly, many Apple watchers are looking forward to the fall and wondering if Apple will revamp the interface to be friendlier to the slew of available content, or issue some other upgrade to the set-top box. The platform hasn’t gotten as much attention from Apple in recent months, but at last check it was still an area of interest for Tim Cook and co., so we’ll keep our eyes peeled.
Author: Dan Moren, Contributor
Dan has been writing about all things Apple since 2006, when he first started contributing to the MacUser blog. A former Macworld senior editor, he's now a freelance tech journalist, a prolific podcaster, and the author of several books; his latest is the supernatural detective novel All Souls Lost.