Apple’s updated TV app is a direct destination for shows

Apple has an updated version of its TV app with a prominent new feature called Apple TV Channels that will house original content and shows from Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Starz, and Showtime. It’s a big deal that Apple was able to get Amazon and Hulu on board with its new TV app, considering Apple’s new streaming service will showcase its own original content. Amazon and Hulu could have easily declined, as both have their own apps available on many TV devices.

“We designed a new TV experience where you can pay for only the channels you want all in one app,” said Apple executive Peter Stern. The redesigned Apple TV app looks a little like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. You can click twice to add a new channel and purchase shows and films on demand.

Previously, the TV app could only send you to other third-party providers and recommend what to watch. But now, Apple is attempting to make its TV app a final destination for watching shows. You’ll be able to catch Apple’s new video streaming service inside the app, and you won’t need to be redirected to other apps — as long as those companies have made deals with Apple. “No more bouncing around from app to app,” Stern said. Apple will still continue to recommend shows for you, in a section titled “For You.”

Apple is making these cable bundles a la carte, so you can pay for what you want, choosing from shows offered on PlayStation Vue, Spectrum, DirecTV, and sports channels. Missing from this list is Netflix, which declined to join Apple’s bundle of subscriptions earlier this month. The new Apple TV app is launching in May through a software update to the Apple TV. Apple is also bringing the app to Mac devices for the first time this fall.

[“source=theverge”]