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FOX News
The FOX News app for Apple TV offers a comprehensive selection of clips from every FOX News program.
Although the app doesn’t offer a live feed of the FOX News broadcast, users can tune into live streams of current events and FOX News Talk radio. Launching the app for the first time presents the user with personalization options. These can be changed in the Settings menu. Users can browse clips from the personalized main screen or by news topics and shows. The app doesn’t offer any search functionality, however, the personalization feature makes it easy to find what you looking for.
The Auto Play feature is turned off by default. This feature will play the next
clip automatically, making it seem more like live TV. You can turn this feature on from the Settings menu.
USA Today
USA Today is the Cliff Notes of news. They offer simplified news coverage for those who just want the gist of the news. Although they are known for their newspaper, the company has expanded into the digital realm, with a website, and now, a tvOS app.
As one would expect, their app is very simple. Upon launching the app, I was presented with movie trailers, not news. Scrolling down displays a collection of short video clips. The videos are generally low quality and often comprised of still images with narration. There are no settings or menu options. The app is very simple in all respects. This app is great for those who just want a quick, simple overview of current events.
Sky News
Sky News was the first media outlet to offer 24/7 live news coverage on Apple TV. I was watching Sky News years ago on my Apple TV 2, when it was the only option for live news. Although based in the UK, the network offers an international news cast, with a focus on the UK. If you’re interested in world affairs, Sky News is an excellent option. Sky News is a major international news broadcaster with bureaus and reporters all over the world. Their 24/7 news broadcast offers high quality, comprehensive news coverage.
The Sky News app hasn’t changed much from its origins on older Apple TV models. It offers a grid of video clips and an icon to launch the live news broadcast. The top menu offers another way to launch the live broadcast, browse categories and search content. The app is simple and easy to use, but nothing special. The Sky News app is all about the content.
Livestream
The Livestream app offers a multitude of live broadcasts from around the world. The streams include nature cameras and pet cameras, but many local and international news networks also use the service. Livestream offers local news and news broadcasts from far off lands. Browsing the news streams, I was able to find live broadcasts from CNBC Arabia, Cayman 27 News, Taradek (Thailand), Myanmar International TV and many other international networks. Local news is also abundant on Livestream. If you’re watching at the right time, the news category is full of broadcasts from local affiliates. Unfortunately, Livestream didn’t have any local news in San Francisco. Search for the city or call letters of your local affiliate to check if they offer Livestream broadcasts. (continue…)