Apple today announced that HBO GO and WatchESPN are now available directly on Apple TV in the US, and that Sky News is live on the device in the UK.
"HBO GO and WatchESPN are some of the most-popular iOS apps and are sure to be huge hits on Apple TV," said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice-president of internet software and services. "We continue to offer Apple TV users great new programming options, combined with access to all of the incredible content they can purchase from the iTunes Store."
Apple TV, which has always been dubbed as a hobby for Apple, lets users choose to watch over 60,000 movies and more than 230,000 TV episodes, as well a listen to the world’s largest collection of music on the iTunes Store. According to Apple, iTunes users have downloaded more than one billion TV episodes and 380 million movies from iTunes to date, and they are purchasing more than 800,000 TV episodes and over 350,000 movies a day.
In addition to HBO GO and WatchESPN in the US, three new content providers are also available today on Apple TV including Sky News, Crunchyroll and Qello.
HBO GO users get unlimited access to their favourite HBO shows, including HBO original programming, hit movies, sports, documentaries, comedy specials and more however will need a subscription to HBO through participating television providers.
WatchESPN on Apple TV delivers a one-stop video destination for sports fans with live access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPN3 and ESPN Buzzer Beater/Goal Line to those who receive ESPN’s networks as part of their video subscription from affiliated providers.
Popular sports and fan-favourite shows include college football and basketball, Monday Night Football, MLB, NBA, major golf tournaments, all four Grand Slam tennis events, SportsCenter, PTI and more. Additionally, curated on-demand video featuring the most recent and relevant content - including highlights and news clips from ESPN.com as well as short-form segments from programmes such as E:60, Outside The Lines, SC Featured, Sport Science and others - will be accessible through WatchESPN for the first time via Apple TV to all users.
In the UK Sky News on Apple TV delivers a live 24/7 news feed to users in the US, UK and Ireland, including breaking news and headlines from business, politics, entertainment and more. In addition to the live feed, users can catch up on specific stories at any time via the extensive on-demand news library.
Crunchyroll, the leading global video service for Japanese Anime and Asian media, will allow subscribers worldwide to watch the latest HD shows one hour after they air in Japan. Qello, a leading on-demand streaming service for HD concerts and music documentaries, offers free or paid subscriptions to music fans worldwide. New users can sign up for Crunchyroll and Qello instantly on Apple TV.
The announcement comes ahead of the planned launch of the company's new iTunes Radio service that will launch later this year and Mavericks support - the company's new desktop OS - as Apple looks to continue to enhance the device.
HBO GO, Watch ESPN, SkyNews, Crunchyroll and Qello require Apple TV software version 5.3 available as a free software update for second and third-generation Apple TV users.