Update Now TV app for apple TV

[Anonymous User]

Will the Now TV app for Apple TV ever get an update?

The current version is complete rubbish and makes me regret ever getting a Now TV pass.

Unless there is an update my Now TV experience will be very short indeed.

[nst]

True, and as much as it pains me to admit it... NowTV will be fully aware of the number of users per platform and therefore those platforms with less will of course get neglected in favour of the more heavily owned hardware.

As much as we all love our AppleTVs... and we all know why they are the best... you can't get away from the fact that its one of the most expensive boxes and therefore the potential audience is going to be significantly less than others.  You can see why NowTV left the old app in a state for so long.

The sad part is, that now they have gracefully decided to give AppleTV users an updated app.... they are probably not seeing as much use as they wanted... this will of course mean that it will be back to the bottom of the priority pile and maybe never to be updated again... however this is SO frustrating as I would guess that a large proportion of people who WOULD use the AppleTV app, are currently NOT doing so because of how they chose to deliver it.  Im certainly in that camp.  Not integrating with the AppleTV TV app is one thing... and I could live with that... but not supporting 5.1 on boost is a deal breaker for me.

Like it or not... Amazon's Fire Stick is now the best option when balancing cost and usability - and its head and shoulders above the NowTV branded Roku.  There is no way given that you can buy a FireStick for £30 including a decent remote and alexa built in etc etc etc... that this is not going to be the most popular and common way of watching NowTV.

[Duncaw67]

Hi @nst 

Echo those sentiments exactly,I was part ot the bete trial as well,and was looking forward to a newly developed app appearing on Apple tv,what a disappointment when it finally arrived,no fully functioning boost pass,which is a disgrace in my opinion,and charging full price as well,I know you now use the firestick for accessing nowtv,but to me the apple tv has the best picture of all the streaming platforms IMHO,and I hope it will be rectified sometime in the future!!!!

[nst]

@Duncaw67 

I totally agree.

I want my AppleTV to be my only streaming box.  Im frustrated to have to go back and forth between it and the Firestick.

I did have some faith that it would be addressed and we would get the app that we (the beta testers at any rate) were promised... however... my optimism has all but vanished now.

If there was any truth in what we were told.. i.e. that they had to release the app without 5.1 and were soon going to be fixing it... then we should have had something by now.  It is after all 2 months since and no sign of any new iterations being released.

Therefore the idea of 'imminent' fixes are long gone and we settle back to have no choice but to shut up and put up with what we got as there is little prospect for it being sorted.

Its such a shame.  Imagine the app with 5.1, TV app integration (both things we were promised) and adherence to Apple remote scrubbing mechanics... then the app would be so much better.

[Anonymous User]

@nst

Has anyone contacted the MD on LinkedIn or anything like that, we shouldn’t be used and left to rot like this it isn’t on. If you google Nowtv Amazon partnership it states they have entered into a long term partnership which slaps us in the face for testing it out in the start and giving us broken promises

[Anonymous User]

Just my take on a few things and I echo all of what you say. Firstly anyone who has a LinkedIn account great idea to message the head of nowtv. I myself don’t have an account. Just google the head of nowtv easy enough.  Secondly we all took part in an eight month beta trial so at what point did the trials manager know about the partnership with Amazon. Our time has been wasted because all the feedback has not been used for what the purpose was meant for. As @nst has said it’s been 2 months since the new app was released and no sign of 5.1. A couple of updates with minor bug fixes.  

[Anonymous User]

@Anonymous User

I’ve just sent her a message on LinkedIn, we will see if I get a reply, I can only urge others to do the same.

[Anonymous User]

Thanks Dean let’s see if you get a reply. 

[dr_necessitor]

What’s actually behind Sky’s apparent “falling out of love” with Roku after so many years and “rushing into the arms of” Amazon? Presumably something to do with Sky being assimilated into Comcast?

Can we expect to see a cheaper NOW TV branded Firestick (a NOWStick?) running a cut-down version of the OS to ensure only vetted apps can be installed?

And what direction will they go in a few years time when they give Amazon the boot?

[gavs82008]

@dr_necessitor 

Personally speaking I just can’t see any more devices launched and created by Now TV.

Its time that Now TV focus purely on the app itself than waste money on getting new devices created. 

Speaking of Comcast, which launched Peacock TV in the US last year using the same technology as Now TV and they haven’t bothered with a “Peacock TV device”. All they’ve done is launched the app across multiple apps. 

[Anonymous User]

But the peacock app is made for TVOS it looks really good on YouTube videos etc, why they can’t just use that and change the logo I will never know, proves they can do it though if they wanted to.

[MrZippy]

Sky made a huge investment in Roku, hence the Roku devices. Suspect this has come to an end, doubt we’d see a FireTV rebadged as Amazon generally sells at a loss as they make their money on content.

I can’t see why everyone is so obsessed to give NowTV money for an inferior service. Every other catchup / streaming service is on Apple TV now, they are all better apps than NowTV.

Maybe it’s because I won’t compromise just to watch one service, I don’t like sport, so Netflix and the other free apps give me so much content that I don’t need Sky stuff.

Shame as suspect I am missing some great shows. But even continue watching doesn’t work properly on TvOS, so they may as well have stuck with the old app!

[Enapace]

@MrZippy 

Sky used own a Stake in ROKU they have since sold

[dr_necessitor]

@Enapace 

Thanks, I knew they had invested in Roku some years ago - but didn’t know that they had now “uninvested” (so I suppose declining interest in supporting Roku is an obvious consequence of that)

[dr_necessitor]

@MrZippy 
speaking for myself, my “support” of NOW TV is purely to access Sky content but because our current property is not allowed to have a Sky dish installed. It also happens to be the case that we adopted streaming as a preference some years ago anyway

[Anonymous User]

We are so disappointed by the updated  NowTV app.   AppleTV 4k with latest version of OS. 

Outright bugs:

Often launch to black screen.  Only workaround is rebooting the ATV. 

Poor response to trackpad.  Cursor gets stuck or jumps two or three selections.  Makes the app frustrating to use. 

Can´t find shows. (missing content)

Subtitles stick on.  Work around is cycling the button on-off several times. 

Lack of key Features:

Still  1080p and that only if we pay extra for it. 

Audio

No AppleTV app integration.  (Amazon and BBC iPlayer have it !!)

No voice recognition support.   Key ATV features like ¨What did she just say¨ do not work.  

UI and usablity issues. 

UI does not follow Apple design guidelines. Does not work like other ATV apps.  

Can not scrub or jump in the time line. 

Content poorly organsied.  It is difficult do find anything by browesing. 

Search is awful. 

Hard to get rid of the hidden controls once they pop up.  

Overall the app is frustrating to use. 

I am sooo close to canceling NowTV over this.   

[nst]

@Anonymous User 

To be fair, these are all well known deficiencies of the 'new' AppleTV app.

TL;DR - buy a firestick and use the far superior NowTV app on that - its what we are supposed to do.

Back to your points - you have to separate common issues that other badly designed AppleTV apps have from those that are avoidable.

1080p only if we pay for it.. well that's the boost pass for you - but of course the AppleTV app inexplicably doesn't support 1080p.

UI issues... well not all apps are created equally sadly - and in this case they were more intent to shoehorn in their standard app interface rather than tweaking it and customising it for the AppleTV - this is where your issues with scrubbing etc come in.  Some manage good scrubbing, some don't - and this doesn't.

Amazon prime app is also as ropey with the touch pad.  TO make life easier for you just try lightly tapping top/bottom/left/right instead of swiping.

Content hard to search.. well again that's the standard app for NowTV so not a unique issue for AppleTV's version.

The app could be so much better and as many of us have said before here... we were promised much more through the beta trial than we were delivered - TV app compatibility would be so much better but they chose to not deliver that.

Sadly, Amazon's firestick app probably represents the 'pinnacle' of NowTV's interface and usability (such that it is) and platforms like AppleTV seem not to be allowed to be anywhere near as good.

Agreed... implement standard scrubbing, 1080p support, TV app integration and get rid of some bugs and it would be great.

[Samuel71]

So today I took the bullet and cancelled.

been waiting for any kind of update on the ATV for years and more and more frustrated. I watch less and less NOWTV not because I don’t like the content but it’s difficult to remember to watch/check for new and not pleasurable experience. Also the fact that it’s in SD it’s crazy.

then add on the fact that with movies and entertainment you pay more than all other streaming services for the lesser quality service and product. Limit on devices in2021 like come on. There just me and wife in my house. We have 2 phones, 2 iPads, 3 TVs..... oh wait now we’re having to choose. Can’t imagine this in an actual family house.

With the impending star coming to Disney+, HBOMax round the corner and clearly SKY know this with the originals being pushed like crazy you’d think they want to retain by providing a decent service. Checked here for update and low and behold nope so I’m done.

will they care probably not but why would I pay for a less enjoyable service, frustrating experience with dwindling content? 🤷 

[Anonymous User]

Couldnt agree more, it’s madness.

Sent a direct message to the MD of Nowtv last week on linkedin and no reply what so ever, they clearly don’t care, the sooner HBO max comes to the Uk the better, and if rumours are true that Apple are buying MGM and increasing its content on Apple TV +, I think that would be one of the final nails in the coffin for Nowtv with all the other superior better quality streaming platforms out there.

[AlexB83]

I still think Now tv will be around for a good while yet purely because of sky sports, if they lost football it would collapse straight away but I can't see this happening for a considerable time. 

[Anonymous User]

I wish they did loose football to someone else, amazon actually do a good job with it in my opinion and the BT sport app is far better than the Nowtv one.

It might be just me but I can’t shake the feeling that Apple are planning something big with tv etc, they hired the man from
Amazon who handled there sports section and who brought premier league football to Amazon and if the rumours are true there planning a whole redesign for TVos for TVOS 15 with an EPG etc.

I’m probably wrong and just like Apple products and pinning my hopes to it, but we can all dream

[AlexB83]

I think in the past apple have said they are unlikely to go for sports at least in the near future. I think they try and keep deals so they can show all their content in all areas. Where as sports rights are very messy so I really can't see this happening anytime soon if at all.