Your Apple TV offers access to a wide array of channels, or apps as they're now more commonly called. A lot of them carry a price tag or require a cable TV subscription. But what if you don't want to pay for yet another channel or app, or you don't have a full cable TV subscription? No problem. You can still grab hours of entertainment via one of the many free channels on an Apple TV. The channels covered here are all available as apps that you download directly on your Apple TV. Let's check them out.
Pluto TV
Pluto TV is essentially a free but more limited version of traditional TV. Similar to other live TV services like Sling TV, FuboTV, and YouTube TV, you can watch live TV, movies, specials, and more. Unlike those other services, Pluto TV comprises customized channels filled with old favorites or newer outlets looking to reach an audience. Surf through live channels covering entertainment, news, sports, comedy, music, lifestyle, and science.
You will also get plenty of TV, movies, and documentaries. No, you won't find the latest and greatest motion pictures, but you can catch some past classic (and maybe not-so-classic) films. Browse through a wide selection of Pluto TV branded channels for action, comedy, drama, family, horror, indies, romance, thrillers, and more.
You can start with newscasts from CBS, NBC, CNBC, and Bloomberg, then switch over to sports with Fox Sports, Pluto Sports, Stadium, and replays of college basketball games. Grab some laughs from outlets like The Onion, Cracked, and Mystery Science Theater 3000, and you'll be able to catch some classic sitcoms too. Find out what's new in tech and geek culture through channels like IGN, Geek and Sundry, Nerdist, and The Tribe. Then relax while listening to your favorite music from classical, jazz, pop, and rock.
Newsy
Need to stay on top of the latest news? Check out Newsy. This channel serves up video segments of current news items and specific stories across politics, entertainment, technology, and more. Fire up Newsy and you're greeted by a video with the latest news stories. From there, you can jump to top stories and trending stories across the spectrum.
You can then watch all the trending news around the world and in the US as well as items in business, technology, entertainment, science, health, and sports. And you can top it off by viewing stories on more specific subjects. Most of the videos provide a brief look at a news item, lasting just a minute or two. Other stories go more in-depth by spending more time on the topic.
TED
TED delivers thousands of talks, lessons, demos, and presentations from expert speakers on a range of topics. You can start with recent videos and editor picks, or check out such topics as Personal Growth, Business, Science, Psychology, Technology, Education, Health, and Politics. You can also search for specific videos by speaker name, subject, and other criteria. Click on an intriguing video to play it or add it to your list to watch later.
Each video also points you to related talks if you want to learn more about the topic. Where else will you find talks on such diverse subjects as "The disarming case to act right now on climate change," "When technology can read our minds, how will we protect our privacy," "A mother and son's photographic journey through dementia," "Do you really know why you do what you do," and "A life-saving device that detects heart attacks."
Popcornflix
Want to catch a memorable movie or TV show? Grab some popcorn and tune into Popcornflix. Here you'll find classic and not-so-classic films from the recent and distant past, like Terms of Endearment, Sophie's Choice, On Golden Pond, Patriot Games, The Untouchables, 48 Hours, and Star Trek: Insurrection.
In the mood for a particular genre or style of film? Browse through the channel's various sections. The comedy section serves up films as diverse as His Girl Friday with Cary Grant and The Coneheads with Dan Aykroyd. Under classic horror, you'll find films like The Last Man on the Earth with Vincent Price and Plan 9 from Outer Space with Bela Lugosi.
Move to Hidden Gems to uncover classics like Death of a Salesman with Dustin Hoffman. And the section for Old School Cool delivers older classics such as High Noon, 1925's Phantom of the Opera, and My Man Godfrey, along with silent comedies from Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
Popcornflix also delivers TV series like 3rd Rock from the Sun and Roger Moore's The Saint. Dig deeper and you'll discover stand-up comedy specials, documentaries, cartoons, and even extreme sporting events.
Food Network in the Kitchen
Here's an appetizing channel that serves you delicious demonstrations and easy-to-follow recipes for tasty meals. Food Network in the Kitchen starts off with quick videos that show you how to cook a specific dish, such as ricotta gnocchi, chili, salmon with garlic potatoes, and hummus.
For more video demos, you'll find clips from specific shows such as The Barefoot Contessa, Giada in Italy, and Guy's Big Bite. You can also search for videos by individual celebrity chefs, such as Giada De Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, and Bobby Flay. And you can check out various topics such as weeknight dinners, healthy eating, and slow cooking.
However, the meat of the channel lies in the recipes. Select a specific dish or swipe up on a video, and the screen displays the ingredients and full directions for concocting that meal at home. If you're hungry for a particular dish, you can search for videos and recipes by name. And if you set up an account with the Food Network, you can save your favorite recipes to your Apple TV for quick and easy access.
Calm
You're feeling anxious or stressed out. Maybe you're worried about work. Maybe a certain phobia is troubling you. Or maybe you're having difficulty sleeping. Whatever the problem, a good meditation session may just be the thing to quiet your mind and soothe your spirit. And for that, look no further than Calm.
This channel delivers a variety of different meditations. Some are designed to relieve general stress, while others cover specific concerns. Several offer guided audio steps and suggestions to help you meditate, and others play music to get you in the right mood.
Among the many guided meditations are ones that try to help you sleep more deeply, feel less anxious while flying, eat more mindfully, better deal with work-related stress, calm your anger, achieve higher self-esteem, and share some loving kindness with the rest of the world.
The musical meditations offer soothing melodies with many accompanied by natural sounds such as falling rain, ocean waves, and birds singing. Another series called Sleep Stories serenades you with bedtime tales designed to help you get a good night's sleep.
Yoga Studio
Yoga is a practice that can relieve stress, flex your body, and focus your mind. With a variety of poses and postures for beginning, intermediate, and advanced yogis, the Yoga Channel serves up several collections of individual classes.
You’ll find collections for deep relaxation, yoga for back pain, yoga for runners, Sun salutations, and Earth salutations. Each collection provides from 4 to 11 different classes. And each class focuses on a specific area, lasting anywhere from 5 to 60 minutes.
A collection called Beginner Essentials offers classes on balance, strength, and flexibility, while the one for back pain brings you classes on morning stretches, backbends, and ab strengthening. Choose the right collection and class, and an instructor guides you visually and by voice through the different poses.
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