Samsung just announced that Apple is bringing iTunes and AirPlay to Samsung smart TVs. The rollout will start later this year and will be available on Samsung smart TVs (2019) and Samsung Smart TV (2018) via a firmware update.
It is no secret that Apple is planning to introduce its own streaming services this year and this a logical step to maximize their content’s reach via Samsung’s smart TVs, which is currently the most popular smart TV brand in the market.
As per the announcement by Samsung, customers will now be able to access their existing libraries in iTunes and the new app “will work seamlessly” with the Samsung ecosystem. The customers will also be able to buy and rent content from iTunes directly from the TV. This is the first time that Apple has allowed third-party access to its video library outside of Window PCs.
The iTunes Movies and TV shows app will available in more than 100 countries at its launch. Samsung’s smart TV ad-tracking features will not be able to track viewing usage in the iTunes Movies and TV shows app which is a plus point for those who take their privacy seriously. This is an excellent benchmark set by Apple as the company once again shows that the company takes its customer’s privacy very seriously.
Apple is currently competing against Spotify and is working hard to cement its place as one of the top music streaming services in the world. At the same time, the company’s rumored video streaming service is also expected to take on Netflix and challenge the uber-popular video streaming service and what better way to do it than streamlining its content on the most popular smart TV brand on the market. Meanwhile, Samsung is working on making the AirPlay 2 available on Samsung TVs (including QLED 4K and 8K TVs). This will subsequently allow content such as videos, photos, music, and podcast to be streamed directly on Samsung TVs. Google assistant is also expected to make its debut Samsung’s 2019 smart TVs.
Apple’s vice president of Internet Software and services, Eddy Cue commented on Samsung’s announcement:
“We look forward to bringing the iTunes and AirPlay 2 experience to even more customers around the world through Samsung Smart TVs, so iPhone, iPad, and Mac users have yet another way to enjoy all their favorite content on the biggest screen in their home.”
With a lot of services coming to Samsung TVs, it seems that now may be a good time to buy one of Samsung’s highly-praised Smart TVs.
