Apple has issued a press release this morning announcing that both HBO Go and WatchESPN are now available on Apple TVs. This is welcome news to customers who have cable or satellite subscriptions and can use the applications; for everyone else, the news means very little.
"HBO GO and WatchESPN are some of the most popular iOS apps and are sure to be huge hits on Apple TV," the press release quotes Apple VP Eddy Cue as saying.
The Apple TV applications will function in the same way as their iOS counterparts already do. For HBO Go, existing HBO customers can enter their subscriber information and watch HBO content (like Game of Thrones or True Blood); those without cable or satellite can continue to not watch HBO content, despite the blindingly obvious opportunity HBO has to take additional revenue out of the growing technologically savvy "cord cutter" demographic.
The WatchESPN app is a bit more liberal, but not much. The press release indicates non-subscribers will be able to view "curated on-demand video," which will include highlight reels and some "short-form segments" from ESPN programs like Outside The Lines and SC Featured. Access to actual sports, though—the thing most ESPN watchers are interested in watching—is limited to "those who receive ESPN's networks as part of their video subscription from affiliated providers."
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