Apple adds live news to its TV app

As promised, Apple has added live news to its TV app for iOS and tvOS, the platform powering its hockey puck-shaped streaming box. As 9to5Mac notes, the feature currently supports a range of US-centric news organisations including CBS News, CNN, Fox News, Cheddar, CNBC and Bloomberg. Just swipe across to 'Watch Now' and you'll find the News carousel partway down the page. To watch a channel, however, you'll need to download the network-specific app first; Apple's TV app uses single sign-on to manage your various subscriptions and cable-linked access.

Apple announced live news at the launch of its Apple TV 4K box last September. The feature was revealed alongside live sports, which was rolled out to US customers as part of an update three months later. Together, they make the TV app — and by extension, tvOS — feel smarter and more helpful. That's important given the Apple TV has few other advantages (okay, automatic 4K movie upgrades are nice) over its 4K and HDR-streaming rivals. With live news, it's now a little easier for people to find what they want, when they want it — an important factor as households weigh up which boxes to buy and keep hooked up to their TV.