New user interface is live on Apple TV
With today’s launch of new channels from Viacom and content from FOX, Sling TV now offers more than 365 channels and more than 50,000 hours of on-demand and replay content across all our services. Customers now have even more options to customize their programming by mixing and matching our Extra packs. Given the vast amount of great programming we offer, we know how important it is to make finding the shows you love effortless. To streamline the discovery experience, we decided to give our user interface (UI) a much-needed makeover. We focused on personalization, ease of use and simplicity to quickly display the content you want to see.
We hope you enjoy the new UI, as we have incorporated many of your ideas to develop a better TV experience. And to help us bring it to market, we wanted to launch the new UI first on a device that many of you have asked for since the beginning.
Without further ado, here are the newest features you’ll see in our new UI, debuting today on Apple TV:
My TV
The My TV screen is all about you – it serves as your “home screen” on Sling TV, a place to easily find something you want to watch. Get direct access to your most watched networks by adding your favorite channels to the top “My Channels” ribbon. This is especially helpful for those of you who tend to watch select networks, but hate flipping through the guide. If you update My Channels to meet your preferences, you’ll be just one click away from your favorite networks. My Channels will preview what’s on now, and you’ll see how long until the next show airs. On the My TV screen, we also made it easy to pick up where you left off watching with the “Continue Watching” ribbon. You can also add your most-watched shows, series and movies to the “Favorites” ribbon by choosing the “♥” icon after selecting any program.
New Mini Guide
My personal favorite updated feature, the refreshed mini guide, allows you to browse through all of the available live content without having to miss a moment of what you’re currently watching. It takes up much less space than the previous mini guide, is lightning fast and allows you to filter by your favorite channels and genres. Not only does it let you browse by channel, you’ll also get a preview of what’s coming up next, and how long until the next show begins. On Apple TV, our first device on the new UI, simply swipe up while watching anything to quickly browse in the new mini guide.
On Now
Looking for something that’s live right now? The On Now view is automatically curated based on what’s currently airing and clearly organized by categories like sports, lifestyle and kids, for easy navigation. In the mood for a comedy show? You’ll quickly find one here!
Series
The series view makes it easy to binge watch your favorite show or series, select it to appear as a “Favorite” in My TV or search for a specific episode of a series like Game of Thrones. We’ll show you which episodes you’ve already watched, and ensure it’s easy to find the next one you want to play.
Lastly, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that we have incorporated Siri remote dictation on Apple TV! Now you can easily sign in to the app or find a specific program, channel or actor just by using your voice.
Aside from these changes, we kept some of your favorite features, like the Guide, where you can find all of your live and on-demand content by channel in once place.
Our team continues to work toward building the best entertainment experience with Sling TV. A few things we’re thinking about for future UI phases include even more personalization, trending shows and movies, additional filters for different types of programs and tailored recommendations based on your favorite shows, viewing location, device, time of day, overall popularity and more. The Sling TV experience will continue to evolve as new features are added, more channels are launched and new products are introduced.
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Ben Weinberger
Chief Product Officer, Sling TV
@BenSlingTV
#TakeBackTV