Skip to main content

Disney Channel

See All Stories

Apple TV 4 adds Disney Channel, Disney XD and Watch ABC to universal search + Siri

Messages Image(2217315798)

Apple has added several new channels and cable internet services onto the new Apple TV universal search and Siri search today, following the addition of Fox and National Geographic earlier in the month. Today’s enhancements brings Watch ABC, Disney ChannelDisney Jr and Disney X.D into the mix allowing users to quickly search across these services in the Apple TV UI. As shown in the screenshot, Modern Family now lists ABC as a viewing option alongside Netflix, iTunes and Hulu. Selecting Watch ABC takes the user directly to the app with the show ready to watch.

Unfortunately, international Apple TV users continue to be left in the dark regarding ‘universal’ search. Outside of the US, a handful of countries get iTunes + Netflix integration in search results … the remainder only get iTunes.


Expand
Expanding
Close

DisneyLife will offer classic Disney + Pixar films, TV, music, books for £10/month, Star Wars and Marvel next

pixar-walle

Hinting at the sea change that will come to the television and movie industries after the launch of the fourth-generation Apple TV, Disney today announced DisneyLife, a £9.99 ($15.43) per month subscription video, music, and book service that will include Pixar’s entire catalog and classic films such as Snow White and The Jungle Book, report The Financial Times (sub. req.) and Variety. Beyond films, DisneyLife will feature thousands of Disney TV episodes, plus hundreds of books and albums, with new content being added as it’s released. The multilingual service will launch November in the United Kingdom, and is planned for a 2016 rollout across France, Spain, Italy and Germany.

While a U.S. launch has not been ruled out by the company, it’s not imminent, as existing contracts limit what can be offered in Disney’s largest market. As one example, Disney’s upcoming theatrical releases will hit Netflix under previously announced deals for the United States and Canada. According to the report, Marvel movies and Star Wars movies will not be a part of DisneyLife, but could be launched as separate subscription services…


Expand
Expanding
Close

Apple boosts Apple TV content offerings with Major League Soccer, Disney Junior

Site default logo image

image

This morning, Apple has sent an over-the-air update to the Apple TV to add two new apps of content: Major League Soccer (MLS) and Disney Junior. The MLS app allows Apple TV users to watch soccer games live, and Disney Junior includes several shows oriented toward young children.

The new soccer app will surely be a big bonus for sports fans, while Disney Junior will continue to attract kids to the Apple’s living room appliance.
Kick-TV-Apple-TV

Last week, Apple added iTunes Radio and many new features to the device. A few weeks ago, the company added a couple of Disney Channel apps, The Weather Channel, Vevo, and a Smithsonian app. Thanks DJ


Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

Apple broke PlexConnect Apple TV hack with this morning’s update

UPDATE: Workaround now available to restore access

Thanks to an easy DNS hack called PlexConnect, non-jailbroken Apple TV users have been able to unofficially run the popular media server Plex on the second and third gen Apple TV since we first told you about it back in June. The hack, which required users to run an app on their Mac or PC that masquerades as the Trailers app, appears to be blocked in the latest Apple TV update pushed out this morning.

Earlier today Apple rolled out an update to the Apple TV that introduced new apps for Vevo, The Weather Channel, Smithsonian, Disney Channel, and Disney XD. The update didn’t require users to initiate a firmware update, so many users are reporting waking up to the PlexConnect app no longer working through the Trailers hack. A growing number of users on the Plex forums confirmed that PlexConnect is unable to connect following this morning’s update.

It’s unclear if Apple is intentionally blocking the popular Plex hack or whether its possibly a result of tweaks to the Trailers app delivered with the update. Plex isn’t the only app that takes advantage of the hack. We reported earlier this year that a Russian subscription TV service was using a similar method.

Site default logo image

Disney launches three iOS apps with live-streaming content

Disney launched three iOS apps today for the iPhone and iPad that offer live streams to premium content previously only accessible on cable.

Watch Disney Channel (iTunes), Watch Disney XD (iTunes), and Watch Disney Junior (iTunes) are free on the App Store, but users must confirm their Comcast subscription to view live-streaming content. The apps allow non-subscribers to watch a limited collection of episodes, however, which is a step up from competing apps like HBO Go that only authorize cable subscribers.

Comcast closed a streaming deal with Disney in January as part of the company’s TV Everywhere initiative to pioneer open access to cable channels across all of its devices. These three Disney apps are the most recent product of that vision.