After shuttering streaming plans, Apple may bundle HBO, Showtime, Starz instead

By Kris Wouk April 3, 2017

Apple TV

In 2016, rumors were flying that Apple was looking into providing a live TV streaming service along the lines of Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, or DirecTV Now. The company later put that idea on the back burner, but that doesn’t mean that Apple is done with trying to make its way into your living room. Now, the company is looking into offering a bundle of premium pay-TV services, according to Recode.

The bundle will consist of at least three popular subscription-based TV apps: HBO, Showtime, and Starz. Apple already provides these apps on both the Apple TV and iOS devices, but this bundle would presumably drop the price, drawing customers away from subscribing via other methods, like authenticating via pay-TV logins.

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Apple has yet to confirm or deny the rumor, but that is par for the course for the company when it comes to rumors. HBO owner Time Warner, Showtime owner CBS, and Starz owner Lionsgate have all refrained from commenting on the rumor. Whether the company is looking to include other channels in the bundle or possibly sell different bundles featuring a variety of channels remains to be seen.

While Apple may have suspended its live TV streaming plans, the company is actively pursuing viewers’ TV time. Last year the company introduced a TV app for both tvOS and iOS devices aimed at being a central hub for watching movies and TV shows, and the company is moving toward producing its own original content as well. Offering a bundle of channels that customers often get access to via their cable or satellite subscription could possibly draw more viewers to Apple’s hardware and software services.

Stand-alone pricing is $15 per month for HBO, $11 per month for Showtime, and $9 per month for Starz. What the company is looking to charge for the bundle is currently unknown.

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How to watch TruTV from anywhere in the world for free

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College basketball fans are rejoicing because they can get their annual playoffs fix when they watch March Madness from now through the NCAA Championship game on April 3, 2023. The easiest way to watch NCAA basketball live is with TruTV live stream. TruTV isn't just for NCAA basketball; the streaming channel also features movies, shows, and original programming. If you subscribe to a conventional TV services provider such as AT&T, Optimum, Spectrum, Verizon, Xfinity, Dish, DirecTV, or Cox, you can watch TruTV to catch the action. If you cut the cord from cable or satellite TV services, you're still in luck because TruTV is included with several primary streaming services.
Watch TruTV on Sling TV

Sling TV includes TruTV with a Sling Blue $40 monthly subscription. In addition to a 30-channel TV line-up, Sling TV plans include 50 hours of digital video recording (DVR) with Cloud DVR. Sling Blue also allows three simultaneous device streams for channels available only on Sling Blue, which includes TruTV. So you can record a TruTV live stream NCAA game for later viewing if you can't watch it in real time. You can access Sling TV with most smart TVs, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Mac and Windows computers, and Xbox game consoles.
Watch TruTV on Hulu with Live TV

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YouTube TV rolls out multiview: watch up to 4 NCAA games at once

An example of YouTube TV's multiview feature.

If you love college basketball and can process more than one game at a time, you're going to go bananas for YouTube TV's new multiview feature, which will be rolling out on a limited, early access basis starting March 14. With multiview, you'll be able to pick up to four channels and see them all simultaneously, with the ability to easily flip the active audio from one to another. The new feature is compatible with any TV-based YouTube TV installations (streaming media players, smart TVs, and game consoles), but it doesn't yet work on mobile devices or computers.

Initially, multiview will only be available to select YouTube TV users, who will be chosen at random. But Google says the goal is to include every subscriber by the time NFL football season starts in the fall. Another limitation, at least for now, is that YouTube TV will preselect the multiview channels you can choose. At launch, only channels that carry NCAA tournament games will be included in that preselected list.
How to use YouTube TV multiview
If you're one of the lucky, randomly chosen users, you'll see an option to watch up to four preselected, different streams at once in your “Top Picks for You” section. After selecting multiview, you can switch audio and captions between streams, and jump in and out of a full-screen view of a game.
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At the moment, YouTube TV sees multiview as an enhancement of the sports viewing experience, so only sports content will be eligible. YouTube TV has had some big sports wins in 2022, including 4K coverage of the Soccer World Cup, and that trend will continue in 2023 thanks to its acquisition of the NFL Sunday Ticket games. However, YouTube TV recently lost access to MLB Network and the MLB.tv add-on, which reduces the amount of sports content available for multiview in 2023.

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With its wide variety of original dramatic content and live sports coverage, TNT is one of the most popular television networks on the planet. If you’re thinking of ditching your cable service or if you already have, you’re going to want to be certain you can still find a way to watch TNT, especially if you’re a fan of the NBA or any of the other sports TNT covers. You can do this online with a TNT live stream, and many of the best live TV streaming services offer access to the network with a subscription. We’ve tracked down the best places you can watch TNT online—no matter where you may be watching from—and we’ve even found a few ways you can watch for free.
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