Third sports channel added in less than a week

Jan 27, 2015 15:57 GMT  ·  By

Apple today added 120 SPORTS to the Apple TV’s sports roster. This the third new sports channel added to the set-top box’s lineup in less than a week. Other sports channels available on the box include Tennis Channel Everywhere, Cricket Australia, ESPN, MLB.tv, NFL Now, NBA, and others.

We’re told that 120 SPORTS on the Apple TV is pretty much the same thing you get with the iOS app, including real-time highlights, expert analysis, and live programming every day with no cable authentication or subscription.

120 SPORTS includes highlights from MLB, NBA, NHL, PGA Tour, NCAA Football, NCAA Basketball, and NASCAR, and users can selectively access on-demand videos to watch anytime.

The channel also includes trending stories, details on your favorite sports, teams and athletes, and offers personalized notifications. You can even look up stuff using the iOS app, but we’re not sure this works on the Apple TV as well.

Despite raking in one new channel after another, Apple TV still doesn’t offer the experience envisioned by Steve Jobs when he told his biographer that he’d “cracked it.” Apple has fought a long and fierce battle with the cable companies trying to make them let down their guard and allow the Apple TV into their businesses, but to no avail.

Gene Munster, the well-known Piper Jaffray analyst who for years has been predicting the emergence of a big-screen TV from Apple, has recently backpedaled on his claims, saying he no longer expects this product to roll out any time soon.