Apple's big new Netflix-style TV app is missing Netflix
Apple's pitch is that the future of TV is apps. Its fancy new home for all those apps has a pretty big hole — two, in fact.
Netflix and Amazon are not a part of Apple's new TV app, which the company is calling "TV." The new app is designed to by a one-stop place for consumers to find shows, sports, events and whatever else they want to watch without having to jump between apps. The TV app debuted at Apple's event on Thursday.
Netflix is the biggest holdout, and a sign that the growing rivalry between Apple and Netflix has become serious enough to create an impasse on Apple's biggest TV play yet.
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Amazon's Prime Video service is also becoming a major player in the streaming video world, second to Netflix but growing rapidly.
Amazon's lack of participation is not entirely a surprise, as the company has not yet reached a deal with Apple to have its content on Apple's streaming TV devices at all.
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The lack of Netflix, however, came as something of a surprise considering its app is available on Apple TV already. The two companies had relatively aligned priorities for years, but are starting to become competitors as Apple looks to break into the content space.
There has also been speculation that Apple could launch its own subscription service either around live TV or a library of content.
Apple's new TV app is also a play by the company to become the go-to place for people to access content, a role that would give it more power when negotiating with content providers like Netflix and Amazon.
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The running joke that quickly emerged was that Apple had gone ahead and created its own version of Netflix, only without access to Netflix content.
As for what is on the new app, Hulu, HBO, Starz and Showtime were each featured during the presentation. The app is available on iPhone and iPad as well as its Apple TV streaming device.
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Jason Abbruzzese is a Business Reporter at Mashable. He covers the media and telecom industries with a particular focus on how the Internet is changing these markets and impacting consumers. Prior to working at Mashable, Jason served as Markets Reporter and Web Producer at the Financial Times. Jason holds a B.S. in Journalism from Boston University and an M.A. in International Affairs from Australian National University.
