Remote Live TV Coming to the Time Warner Cable iOS App Tomorrow
According to a report from Apple enthusiast site 9 to 5 Mac, an update could be coming to the Time Warner Cable iOS app that enables remote live streaming TV (meaning outside of your home) for certain channels as well as on-demand content for others. The updated app could be pushed out as early as tomorrow.
It’s a new move for Time Warner Cable, which is a terrestrial cable company. The only provider offering a similar type of service at the moment is Dish Network, a satellite TV company whose Hopper DVR with Sling is capable of streaming live TV content over the Web. TWC would only be offering cable networks like BBC America, Fox News and TV Guide Channel, while other properties like MTV and Comedy Central would have content available for on-demand.
As someone who believes you should be able to access the TV you pay for anywhere, this is definitely a step in the right direction, though it isn’t an enormous one. Out of all of the available channels for live streaming, I can’t say I watch any of them. Sure, there is going to be on-demand content available, but I’m a Comcast customer and I actually have access to a large on-demand library on my iOS devices as well as on my Xbox. In that respect, TWC is actually a bit behind on the mobile on-demand space.
Comcast offers zero live TV streaming, though, so both services have their flaws.
I anxiously await the day when I’ll be able to watch TV using my cable subscription on my iPhone, or own my iPad, or on a laptop. If you pay Spotify $10 a month, you have access to your subscription on any device, right? If you pay $8 a month for Netflix, you can sign in on any compatible device and watch movies or TV shows, right? So why are we stuck at home in front of a TV for what is, for many of us, the largest subscription we pay? It’s nonsense.
Kudos to Time Warner Cable for offering some streaming options, even if it isn’t a whole lot. It opens the door for more channels to be added and that is a good thing. It’s also worth noting that Verizon and Optimum both offer Live TV on mobile devices via an app, however, they are currently limited to the confines of your home.
We’ll keep you up to speed on this story and let you know if Time Warner Cable does indeed release an update for its iOS app in the new day or two.