Apple TV in Australia

There are no TV show rentals in Australia for the new Apple TV, but there are movie rentals. You need to purchase the TV shows in iTunes on your computer and then stream them from your computer.

Apple's Australian web site for the Apple TV does not mention TV show rentals.

I bought the atv2 yesterday
Disappointed havw to have a computer on all the time to watch tv shows i thought that it would stream now i have to have a computer running all the time to watch tv episodes
The whole ppint of buying it was to stream now i findmout its download and share
This is inconvenient to say the least? American users are saying that they can stream tv shows
Why cant weeeee ???? I should read into things more before buying i guess. But the advertising hooks me

It all comes down to licencing. Apple does not have any licence to provide TV shows for rent in Australia. In American they only have it with a couple of networks. Other networks have said no. Even Americans will have to do what you do for some shows.

You definitely need to read before you buy, especially when what is said for America is not always the case for Australia.

Well it did have a TV Show menu when it was first released and they did have reference to renting TV shows on the Apple website product page when it was first released - yes, the Australian product page.

I suspect the Free TV Australia cartel have put the hard word on Apple. However they did want too much for each episode of a TV Show, (even ABC programs were $2.99 per episode!!)

$2.99 per episode? You're talking about the original Apple TV with which you can still purchases TV episodes for $2.99. The new Apple TV can only do rentals of content and since you can't rent TV shows does not include the TV Show menu.

Hi Matthew, Yes you're right, you can buy TV shows for $2.99 and I reckon that's a good price to `buy' them at. However when I got the new Apple TV set up, it originally did have TV Shows listed on the menu and then when I looked yesterday it was gone.

Maybe that was my confusion. I'd read that there was to be only rentals on the new Apple TV so when I saw $2.99 per episode, I immediately assumed it was that price to rent (which I arced up about). But maybe it was an Apple glitch and it will come back with $1/ episode. I hope so.

Yeah, I just bought the new Apple TV as well and hugely disappointed that I can't watch TV shows on it. It's a hassle to have to download them and play back from the computer.

In the guide that comes with the hardware it states "Apple TV allows you to rent and watch high definition movies and TV shows"

You obviously can't download TV shows to rent. It should be called "Apple Movie" not "Apple TV" - it's false advertising. I watch 5x as many TV shows and series as I do movies. Not happy!

johnmccccc wrote:
Yeah, I just bought the new Apple TV as well and hugely disappointed that I can't watch TV shows on it. It's a hassle to have to download them and play back from the computer.

In the guide that comes with the hardware it states "Apple TV allows you to rent and watch high definition movies and TV shows"

You obviously can't download TV shows to rent. It should be called "Apple Movie" not "Apple TV" - it's false advertising. I watch 5x as many TV shows and series as I do movies. Not happy!

Hi John,
There is a fix for this via a 3rd party application (flashable to Apple TV2)

Check this out: http://blog.firecore.com/3200

This aTV Flash (blackbox) will give you Internet Browsing on Apple TV2.... therefore you can at least logon to ABC and watch iView shows and any TV Podcast. If you have an account with BigPond.. you could also stream their collection of Movies.

Hope this helps..

On 15th September 2010 I received an email about the new Apple TV which included the line "Get instant access to the hottest Hollywood titles and new releases" The email should have been sent a couple of years back because all of the content that is available for downlaod in Australia is well and truly out of the theatre and relegated to the weekly section at the local video shop. I bought Apple TV so I could get "up to date" movies for download. I feel like I have been totally ripped off. Great products Apple, Crap marketing. Don't bother getting it if you are after "the hottest hollywood titles and new realeases" unless you plan on going "back" to the future!!