I have subscriptions to Apple TV+, Disney, HBO, Netflix and Paramount. And yet every time I try to use Apple TV to search for content it brings up tons of stuff (majority) that I need ANOTHER subscription for. This makes the Apple TV app frustrating and virtually worthless because I end in searching in each app separately. How to I filter for content I already have access to? This shouldn’t be hard! In fact it should be the default!!
Sure there are several examples but I’ll give you a recent relevant one. Last year Apple had really good MLB baseball content. Now I search for MLB hoping to find it again but instead all I get are hits from two providers: ESPN+ and the MLB App. Well, I’ve had subscriptions to both of these apps in the past and they are lousy. Unless you’re watching some non commercial sports like college volleyball most of the content on ESPN+ is completely fake and actually requires a cable subscription. Similarly, half of the games in the MLB are black outs so many of those hits are fake as well. Both of these apps are so frustratingly bad that I would like to filter them out entirely so that I get zero hits when I search in the Apple app. Instead, I get dozens and dozens of fake hits and to make matters worse I’m getting these pop-up alerts that interrupt my programming to tell me that a fake game is starting every time a baseball game starts. It’s really infuriating.
The Apple TV app on the Apple TV box (or iPhone, or iPad) will show any content that it has to offer, including buy or rent content, and including content that needs additional subscriptions. There is currently no way to filter that out, if you do a search.
For Search, Up Next, and Watch Now recommendations, the Apple TV app wants to be a hub of sorts for any connectable app and also in-app channels. That relies on synergy where little is filtered out, else no content provider is willing to participate.
Apple welcomes your feedback comments at: Feedback - Apple TV App - Apple, if you have ideas on how to improve on its usage.
Netflix doesn’t connect to the Apple TV app at all (they opted out), and only supports searching for its content for as far as Netflix Originals (not licensed content). Netflix wants users to stay in their app instead.
Can you give an example on how you search for content, and how that result requires another subscription?
Now I search for MLB hoping to find it again
The regular MLB season starts March 30, I think, so nothing would be available now.
Not sure if Apple will do the ‘Friday Night Baseball’ doubleheader again this year. I haven’t seen any announcement about that, and it’s getting close to season opening day.
How to filter Apple TV by paid subscription
