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Apple TV 4 offers live news in addition to on demand shows and clips. This article explains how to watch news on Apple TV 4.
We live in an age where so much is happening around the world. It seems that every day we awake to breaking news. These days, it seems much of the news is catastrophic. It’s all the more reason to stay informed. After all, you want to make sure it’s safe before you head out the door. Fortunately, Apple TV 4 provides several options for staying informed.
I turn on my Apple TV 4 every morning and watch live news. Most tvOS news apps are interactive. If the live feed isn’t interesting, I can browse other videos. This user experience is far superior to anything that cable or satellite have to offer.
This article is intended for the cord-cutter. None of the apps or services mentioned in this article require a cable or satellite subscription for activation. All of the apps and services covered in this article are absolutely free. First we’ll take a look at native tvOS news apps, in addition to video apps that offer news, such as YouTube and Livestream. We’ll also take a look at using AirPlay to beam virtually anything to your Apple TV, including local news.
Apple TV 4 News Apps
tvOS, the operating system for Apple TV 4, features an App Store, just like on the iPhone. Installing tvOS apps is quick and easy. Simply launch the App Store, search or browse for an app, and click on “Get” to install. The app is added to your home screen. You can also launch the app directly from the App Store after it’s installed. Launching apps with Siri is also convenient.
Apple TV 4, being a TV appliance, offers several news apps. The App Store features an entire category of news apps. It’s simply not possible to cover every news app. This article focuses on major news apps offering original, high quality content. Established networks have news bureaus virtually everywhere in the world. They’ve been investigating and reporting news for decades. Their corresponding tvOS apps tend to offer the best news programming.
CBS News
CBS News is my go-to news app. It’s one of the few news providers offering a 24/7 live news broadcast. The new CBSN live news service starts playing when the app is launched. Swiping down on the Siri Remote’s Touchpad displays a menu with news clips from the past hour. Simply click on a clip to leave the live feed and watch the on-demand video. Browsing this timeline is a quick and easy way to get a summary of top stories.
The CBS News app also offers an extensive library of on-demand clips and news shows. Pressing the Menu button minimizes the CBSN live broadcast into a small picture-in-picture window while displaying a grid of on-demand options. Popular CBS News shows, such as CBS Evening News, CBS This Morning and 60 Minutes are also available.
The CBS News app is, by far, the best news app available on Apple TV. The user interface is bold, intuitive and easy to use. The live CBSN 24/7 news broadcast is a great way to stay informed any time of the day. I prefer it to CNN. CBSN is focused on news, where CNN has strayed into news-related programming. If I have a few minutes and I want to find out what’s happening in the world, nothing beats the CBS News app.
My preference for CBSN isn’t just an opinion. CBSN won a Webby award for best news and information channel. They’re also attracting more viewers than any other online streaming news service, setting new records for viewership this year.
CNN (via YouTube)
Although CNN offers the CNNgo app for tvOS, it requires a cable or satellite subscription for activation. These schemes may make sense for mobile devices, but your Apple TV is most likely in your home. If you have cable, why would you watch CNN on Apple TV? The user interface is better, but most cable boxes offer on-demand options and interactive capabilities. This move is all about business, but seems short-sighted. CNN is missing out on ad revenues and losing ground to competitors. Who cares about CNNgo, when you can watch a better 24/7 live news broadcast on the CBS News app? (continue…)