Vevo Developing Apple TV App for 24-7 Music Video Channel

Cord-cutting millennials will soon have a new way to quench their insatiable thirst for '90s nostalgia. Music video website Vevo is developing an app for Apple TV that will offer up its 24-7 music video channel, according to people familiar with the matter. Apple and Vevo both declined requests for comment. Having an Apple TV app will allow Vevo TV to sell ads made specifically for televisions. Adidas, McDonald's, Red Bull and State Farm currently advertise on the online version of Vevo TV. Vevo launched Vevo TV this March as an alternative way to watch and discover music videos on its platform. Previously, users had to search for videos. Vevo's "Vintage" program plays songs from the '80s, '90s and '00s. Vevo TV -- a linear music video channel -- appears better suited for the "lean back" experience of watching television, as opposed to mobile viewing. Vevo had nearly 62 million unique U.S. visitors in May but only 4.2 million watched on mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), according to comScore. The company already has apps for Android, iOS and Windows mobile devices, BlackBerry's PlayBook tablet, Xbox Live and Roku. For Apple, the deal widens the viewing options on Apple TV, its set-top box that brings video apps and Internet connectivity to televisions. Apple TV recently added HBO Go and ESPN apps via a software update. Apple has its own music discovery service, iTunes Radio, planned for release on Apple devices, including Apple TV, this fall. Unlike Vevo, iTunes Radio will only play songs, not music videos. iTunes Radio will be free with ads or consumers can get an ad-free version by purchasing iTunes Match, an online music storage service, for $24.99 per year. Apple CEO Tim Cook said in May that the company had sold more than 13 million Apple TV sets with half of those sales coming in the past 12 months.

Vevo Developing Apple TV App for 24-7 Music Video Channel

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