Are you looking to watch Freeview on Apple TV in Australia? The good news is you can watch both live and on demand freeview content using an Apple TV. Here is how it works:
Freeview Apple TV App
Unfortunately there no longer is a freeview app for the Apple TV. There used to be an app to watch Freeview TV in Australia, but this is no longer supported. The existing app was updated so that it no longer worked.
How to Watch Freeview on Apple TV in Australia
The best way to watch Freeview channels is to download the various channel apps to your Apple TV. Channels like Nine, ABC, SBS etc all offer apps to watch their content on demand. Many of these apps also now support live TV.
One of the best things about the Freeview app is that it had a consolidated guide as to what is currently on. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to find any app that offered a similar experience. The reality is that people are no longer watching live tv like they used to. More and more people are watching content on demand.
Apple’s TV app does an ok job of showing the various content that is available within each channel app. But it doesn’t support live TV.
If you are looking for the old fashioned TV guide with live channels you will need to plug an antenna into your TV. The Apple TV only supports streaming and you can’t plug an antenna into it.
Watching Live TV on the Apple TV
Most of the Freeview apps such as ABC iView, SBS OnDemand etc now support live TV. This means you watch the same content you would be watching over digital TV. Instead of using 1 app to watch Freeview content, you now just need to install an app for each channel you want to watch. Yes, this is quite annoying. And Yes, you are required to register an account with each app. This unfortunately is the new reality of watching live TV.
Using the Freeview App on Your iPhone
There is still a Freeview app on the iPhone. But this app is just a TV guide. You can’t actually watch any content through the app. Instead it will direct you to download the channel app to watch that channel. I don’t see much use in actually using the app apart from if you need a TV guide.
Will There be a Freeview App in the Future for Apple TV?
I highly doubt there will be an app for Freeview in the future. So I wouldn’t hold out hope. The TV broadcasters want you to watch their content using their apps. This way they can sell more ads and collect more viewer data.
