Apple TV Channels are the answer to cord cutting but Apple is letting them slowly die.

[jgreg728]

I love the concept of Apple TV Channels. Apple’s intention for them is a great idea in the midst of an ever broken streaming market where everything is fragmented across multiple apps. But Apple really is letting go of a GREAT TV opportunity with channels.

Great ideas they include:

• “one-click” subscription with my existing Apple ID
• no extra apps needed
• no extra usernames and passwords to remember
• movies and shows appear in the *up next* list
• easy to unsubscribe
• ⁠high bit rate
• ⁠keeps same native player UI across all channels like TV+
• ⁠Picture in Picture in tvOS
• ⁠Ability to view your up next list while watching another show or movie in the tv app and switch to it kinda like changing channels
• ⁠ability to download all content for offline viewing
• ⁠no (unskippable) ads

Ways they are a mess:

• ⁠New channel content tends to happen later on channels than their corresponding separate apps
• ⁠Siri integration sucks. I should be able to open channels at request, play live channels consistently (you can actually ask Siri to play AMC+ channels like IFC and Sundance TV, but Siri strangely has no ability to play the live CBS feed in the paramount+ channel, for example), and do all this seamlessly through HomePod
• ⁠Apple’s making them less and less advertised in the TV App in favor or Apple TV+ content, and mixing the lineup in with separate connected apps makes them less known to the uninitiated eye
• ⁠As a result, support for them is waning, and I question how long they’ll actually last as a service. As we’ve seen with HBO and other channels, they can be taken down without much warning, making them not as reliable for cord cutting as they should be.

So yeah, lots of benefits that make them better than separate apps, but also a LOT of things Apple could be doing to make them WAY better. I want this feature to grow and become a cord cutting standard. Apps like Peacock and Max should be channels too. But Apple needs to recognize their potential first and actually act on it.

 

[JBaby]

Apple can’t force services to join Channels. And they can’t make them upload content faster either. Now I do agree with TV app criticism. I hate the new layout. And I hate how I can’t easily see what are actual channels and which channels require cable. I don’t get why you can’t just ask for the live feeds to play.

 

[-Gonzo-]

As much as I’d like the convenience of using Channels, it’s generally far cheaper subscribing direct and using their own apps as you can get deals on subs that you don’t get via the Channels.

 

[jgreg728]

Apple can’t force services to join Channels. And they can’t make them upload content faster either. Now I do agree with TV app criticism. I hate the new layout. And I hate how I can’t easily see what are actual channels and which channels require cable. I don’t get why you can’t just ask for the live feeds to play.

With your first point that’s kind of what I’m getting at though - Apple needs to make these deals more attractive to content providers to get them to WANT to contribute to the platform. And this goes for pretty much everything they provide that requires external collaboration (like, their App Store practices for example). And yeah totally agree that the TV App is way worse now than it was a few years ago. It used to be a legit hub for all things TV. Now it’s just an Apple TV+ billboard. So disappointing.

 

[fatTribble]

I unlinked all of my streaming services from the TV app when it became just an advertisement for new content. Give me a way to browse new content when I want rather than making me jump around it until I find the content I want to watch and already paid for.

 

[NYCValkyrie]

As much as I’d like the convenience of using Channels, it’s generally far cheaper subscribing direct and using their own apps as you can get deals on subs that you don’t get via the Channels.

Exactly this. If I could get the same promos, I'd just use Channels but it's always full price and sometimes more than subscribing directly through the service. Likely because of the fee they have to pay Apple.