Apple TV Brings Live Sports, Updates Netflix

appletv-mlb

Without any PR fanfare, Apple TV was updated yesterday to include live MLB and NBA video streaming (to subscribers of those respective services). Additionally, Apple TV now joins the PS3 in offering 5.1 surround sound for select Netflix titles. Interestingly, Apple continues down the path of offering curated aTV channels versus launching a full fledged App Store. Regardless, it’s officially time for Roku to be scared.

Roku offers much more content and in some cases comes in even cheaper than the $99 Apple TV. Yet Apple TV is a super sleek device with shelf space at Best Buy and the Apple Store. “Apple” also obviously carries a ton of positive brand recognition. Compared to Roku… Despite moving a million units, the company/product is unfamiliar to many.

What I’d like next from any of these small media streamers is a live simulcast of pretty much any cable news network. We’ll see if any have interest in testing the over the top (OTT) waters and potentially alienating their MSO partners. Unless the cable-cos are the providers.

20 thoughts on “Apple TV Brings Live Sports, Updates Netflix”

  1. I still think these sports packages are nearly useless for ‘cord-cutters’ without access to local teams’ live broadcasts.

  2. Regarding simulcast of cable news networks: You can get live streaming of CNN International, BBC News, Al Jazeera and RT through various private channels. You can get all of those (except RT, I believe) inside NowhereTV, or they are available as stand-alone private channels as well.

  3. Would be cord cutters without a local franchise can consider but you still miss all the marquee matchups (and playoffs?) on TNT and ESPN etc.

  4. “…it’s officially time for Roku to be scared.”

    I agree, Dave. While Roku has made great strides and has significantly more channels, the reality is that there is a lot of overlap between channels and a lot of niche material. Most consumers are more concerned about top tier content vice sheer quantity. As Apple TV adds more quality, marquee channels and features such as 5.1 audio on Netflix, it becomes more appealing. Moreover, the Apple presentation/UI (main screen and within channels such NBA League Pass) is significantly more polished.

    It appears to me that Roku’s primary focus continues to be adding more channels. Now that they have 130+, my belief is that they should put significantly more emphasis on the presentation and UI. They did a great job with their Netflix channel – as good as any other device/platform IMO – and should put that same energy into other areas (e.g. main screen) and other channels. While serviceable, their sports channels look/feel dated when compared to similar channels on the likes of the PS3 and AppleTV. To their credit, Roku has done a good job in attracting channels such as Hulu Plus, Amazon, MLB, NBA, etc. I am interested to see what their next major announcement involves. Moreover, as all these devices (PS3, Xbox, AppleTV, Roku, Boxee, etc.) get the same (e.g. Netflix) or comparable (e.g. iTunes = Amazon VoD = PlaystationStore) channels/apps, it will be interesting to see how they try to differentiate themselves from the competition.

  5. Ryan, Marte, I agree the blackout restrictions create an environment where these products will continue to augment pay TV for most rather than replace it.

    jcm, The Roku UI is fast and simple. But also simplistic. So I, too, would like to see some refinement.

    Chad, thanks for the private channels tip. I’ll check them out again. I suppose they’re SD only, intercepted from their respective web sites? Hm. :)

  6. “Ryan, Marte, I agree the blackout restrictions create an environment where these products will continue to augment pay TV for most rather than replace it.”

    The problem is that they don’t even provide any augmentation over pay TV.

    I’m an NBA junkie. But I’m also an HD junkie. And I’ve got no options whatsoever.

    My cableco delivers fibre to my home, but they can’t manage to feed me more than one or two HD NBA games per night via QAM, no matter what I pay.

    My understanding is that League Pass Broadband doesn’t provide anything near Netflix 720p “good enough” HD on any of their games through the stuff Apple and Roku are the end points for.

    So, if I wanted to buy NBA League Pass in mostly SD, and since I already have to have cable because of blackout rules, why would I want to go with IP delivery rather than with QAM delivery? At least with QAM delivery, I’ll get a few 1080 games. (Not to mention that stuff like Apple TV’s presentation seems to provide spoiler scores for games you might want to watch when you don’t know the result.)

    So, here we have a consumer who would happily pay $300 a year for all the NBA games in HD, and nobody wants my money via either QAM or IP delivery. It all seems bizarre to me.

    (But if I’m willing to live with SD, the cableco product provides me more augmentation than the “over the top” product… )

  7. “So, here we have a consumer who would happily pay $300 a year for all the NBA games in HD, and nobody wants my money via either QAM or IP delivery. It all seems bizarre to me.”

    Or just to present an even more extreme case, I’d probably be willing to pay $300 a year just to follow a single NBA team in HD. And I’d be fine with needing to have cable to deal with blackout games.

    And still, nobody wants my money…

  8. I live in the South and follow the Brewers, so I was really pleased with the MLB package last summer on Roku. Yeah, I kinda missed not having HD (and I didn’t really like the way the broadcasts looked more like film than video), but it wasn’t enough to make me want to spend $1,500 a year on cable.

    As for Roku being scared, that’s good, right? The last thing we want is for someone to dominate the sector and then become lazy — like the cable companies did.

  9. Now I wonder if Roku will update their NBA channel to allow those with broadband NBALP to watch games on Roku.

  10. Is MLB’s picture quality on the Roku inferior to that of the PC? I watch MLB on the PC and the quality is HD.

  11. NBA League Pass can be accessed through Roku’s NBA Game Time app. I wish I knew this in the beginning of the season. Nba League Pass is horrendous on the pc. They games are shown inside a 4×3 frame with bars on sides, top and bottom.

  12. “NBA League Pass can be accessed through Roku’s NBA Game Time app.”

    Have you watched on the Roku?

  13. @gonzo90017,

    I believe NBA League Pass was just added to Roku’s NBA Game Time channel in the last few days.

  14. @Dave,

    Yes, I believe the live news streams are SD only. They don’t look half-bad though, in my opinion. Good enough for news, anyway.

  15. The quality of MLB on Roku is waaay better than on my PC or Mac, the frame rate is much higher, the images are crisper… I wouldn’t call this trouble for Roku yet, Roku has hundreds of channels, more every week, and many audio channels as well, (shameless plug: check out my channel, Musiclouds, featureing 8tracks, Soundcloud and Jamendo as sub-channels).

    Trouble for Roku will be if Apple opens an App store on Apple TV…

  16. Chad, Nice call on Nowhere TV. It looks much different from the last time I looked (under its previous name) using newer elements of the Roku UI as seen in Netflix and Hulu. BBC came up fast and looked good, better than CNN. Wonder if it’d be enough to ween the wife off cable. Probably not. :)

  17. I own both, and Roku is still the undisputed champion.

    Roku is a1080p device and has a better picture than the 720p Apple TV even when comparing 720p content.

    Apple is more slick, but the icons and art are so small they are often difficult to make out. Roku is more user friendly with larger icons and better navigation.

    Roku’s remote is awesome. It was designed specifically for Netflix and includes an instant replay that we use all the time. Apples’ remote was designed for an iMac years ago and makes navigation an annoying and cumbersome experience.

    Finally, since it is all about content, Roku is the champion hands down. It has all the premium content almost identical to Apple TV through Amazon Unbox, a better Netflix experience, Hulu Plus and tons of free channels.

    Unless there is a major iOS upgrade with an app store for Apple TV, the only reason I would currently recommend an Apple TV is for someone who primarily wants to stream content from iTunes or an iPhone. Otherwise go with the no-compromises Roku.

  18. Anyone suggest a movie to test the new 5.1 from Netflix with. Forced Dolby on but I still only get stereo..

  19. MLB is taking away blackout rules.

    I disagree that appletv having mlb and nba is a big deal. PS3 Has had mlb for a while., plus if uhave your pc hooked up you can get any of these on your own

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