New Mac’s won’t be the only thing Apple will debut at Thursday’s “Hello Again” shindig, says a report from USA Today’s Dawn Chmielewski. Apple will show off an Apple TV app that will aid viewers in discovering television shows.
Described to network executives as “the Watch List,” the app will recommend shows based on the content viewers access through their Apple TVs. For example, a subscriber to FX Networks might be encouraged to check out the new dramatic series Atlanta.
Chmielewski’s sources couldn’t be named “because of the confidential nature of the negotiations,” and an Apple spokesperson declined to comment on the possibility of an announcement on Thursday.
Apple has been working to improve the searching and recommendation functions of its fourth-generation Apple TV for awhile now, via the box’s Siri search feature, which can search various Apple TV apps, as well as iTunes for content searched for by the viewer.
For network programmers, it provides a central hub for promoting new shows — a helpful tool at a time when old programming tricks for launching a new series, such as wedging a freshman show next to a hit program, don’t work in the digital world.
While Chmielewski’s report indicates an Apple TV-centric app, it is also possible such an app could also be made available on the iOS platform. We’ll watch with interest during tomorrow’s event to see what announcement, if any, that Apple makes about the app.
Apple will be livestreaming tomorrow’s event, and MacTrast will provide live coverage of the debut of new Macs, as well as any other announcements, so be here at 10:00AM Pacific/1:00PM Eastern Time on Thursday for all the fun.
