Three things called Apple TV
A streaming service that says it supports Apple TV means it has a tvOS app for the hardware.
- Apple TV, the hardware: the box that connects to a television and runs tvOS
- The Apple TV app: Apple's application for browsing and watching, on Apple devices and many smart TVs
- Apple's streaming subscription service
What a tvOS app needs
- An interface built for the Siri Remote and Apple's focus-based navigation
- Playback through Apple's native player, using HLS
- FairPlay Streaming for protected content
- App Store listing with layered artwork and a top-shelf image
- Apple's in-app purchase if subscriptions or purchases are sold inside the app
- Review under the App Store guidelines
Sharing code with the iOS app
tvOS is closely related to iOS, so account, catalog and playback code can be shared between an iPhone app and a tvOS app. The interface cannot: there is no touch screen, and everything is driven by focus moving between items.
Why publish on Apple TV
The installed base is smaller than that of the cheaper sticks, but its owners tend to watch a lot and to pay for subscriptions. For services with an audience in North America, Western Europe or Australia it is usually worth the additional app.
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