Dedicated CW app coming to Apple TV in coming weeks
Deadline is reporting that the CW network is bringing its content to Apple's favorite little hobby -- the Apple TV.
During CW's upfront presentation today, CW President Mark Pedowitz explained that the CW network is now reaching "more viewers on more platforms" while stressing that 20 percent of the network's viewership now stems from digital sources.
MacRumors reached out to CW and was told that its upcoming app will be featured on the Apple TV homescreen and will operate similarly to its current Xbox app.
It's a dedicated CW app that will work like our Xbox and mobile and tablet apps - no cable authentication required, full episodes of our shows available next day after air, ad-supported.
MacRumors points out that Apple's deal with CW marks the first time Apple has struck a deal with a single television network. While television shows are available via Apple TV, they must be accessed via conduits such as Netflix or iTunes.
CW says that its app will appear on the Apple TV in the next few weeks, though a precise launch window wasn't given.
It remains to be seen if other networks will eventually follow suit and make their way onto the Apple TV as well. One network that many viewers want to hit the Apple TV is HBO. During an All Things D talk this past February, HBO President Eric Kessler said that he anticipates HBO will eventually land on Apple TV though no specific time frame was given. In the meantime, the company this year added AirPlay support to its HBO Go app for iOS.
Meanwhile, Apple still likes to tout the Apple TV as nothing more than a hobby. While sales of the device have grown considerably over the past few years, it still doesn't rake in the kind of cash that Apple's other products do. Like clockwork, whenever Apple CEO Tim Cook is asked a question about Apple's ambitions with the Apple TV, he routinely answers that the company will "continue to pull the string and see where it leads us."
