Mikey Campbell
After integrating PBS and PBS Kids into tvOS universal search last month, Apple on Thursday expanded the deep linking feature to include content sources Fox Now, FX Now and Nat Geo TV.
With the new search integration in place, Siri queries for shows like "Bob's Burgers" and "American Horror Story" surface viewing options from the Fox Now, FX Now and Nat Geo apps alongside the usual iTunes, Netflix and Hulu offerings.
A report from MacRumors notes Nat Geo TV is also included, but it seems only select shows are provisioned at this time. For example content pages for "Digggers" and "Dirty Rotten Survival" only include links to iTunes and Hulu.
The change comes one month after what appears to be Apple's opening of the tvOS universal search API. One of the fourth-generation Apple TV's tentpole features, universal search ties in with Siri to let users find specific shows from multiple providers. For example, searching for "Bob's Burgers" returns a dedicated show page with links to iTunes, Netflix, Hulu and Fox Now.
Universal search was limited to iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Showtime and HBO at launch, but later expanded to include PBS and PBS Kids. The results appear even if the providers' tvOS apps are not installed.
Apple initially promised make the universal search API available to third-party developers last October, a month before the fourth-gen Apple TV shipped. Progress has been slow, but companies are apparently starting to graft support onto their respective content databases.
Update: Nat Geo TV support noted.
William Gallagher
Malcolm Owen
Charles Martin
12 Comments
SlingTV and an OTA antenna will provide most of your needs. HBO is seasonal and can be have for $15/mo.
Btw, we need SlingTV apps...I'm sick of FireTV.
Is this another USA only thing? They've previously said that Netflix was integrated into the search but it has never worked for me or anyone I know who has a unit.
Good what's holding everyone else back?
A little thing that bothers me here. The main allure of streaming is that you can watch what you choose when you choose. OTA is far from comparable and you usually get one episode a day at a certain time.
IDK what SlingTV does exactly but more support is great. I'd love to see AppleTV grow and really be the future of TV.
I look forward to full integration across all apps. That way I can more quickly determine there is nothing available that I want to watch. /s