This all comes after Macrumors asked Apple last month about AirPlay 2 support on Roku devices and was told by an Apple spokesperson that “we don’t have anything to say regarding this now.” The report went on to say that the partnership may extend to also adding Apple Music support to Roku devices.
Apple is reportedly busy working on a new streaming service that will reportedly launch this year. Apple is reportedly planning to make the service available through its Apple TV app, meaning you will need an Apple device or to access the content. The ability to use AirPlay to cast to your Roku or smart TV not made by Apple will be a huge move Apple’s new streaming service.
Recently TiVo released their annual look at the state of pay-TV and streaming services. Part of this study was a look at what devices Americans use to stream content with. According to that study, the Apple TV is in fifth place with just 13.3% of Americans using it to stream content to their TVs.
In first place was smart TVs with 27.1%, followed by gaming consoles at 19.4%. Roku was the most popular set-top box at 17.7%, and the Amazon Fire TV came in fourth place with 15.7%.
This fifth place finish by the Apple TV is consistent with the recent surveys of our readers. It is likely a big part of why Apple recently announced a deal to bring iTunes and AirPlay to non-Apple smart TVs. With Apple’s plans to launch a Netflix-like on-demand streaming service that will reportedly need an Apple device, Apple is likely looking for ways to get their new streaming service on more TVs.
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