Overview: Brightcove Native SDK for tvOS

Overview

The Native SDK for tvOS allows you to create video-centric apps for the Apple TV.

• Video Cloud customers can play Video Cloud library content
• Brightcove Player customers can play videos with internet accessible URLs

When ingesting your content, we recommend using a high resolution profile for the best renditions for Apple TV. For more details, see Apple's Video Formats for Apple TV documentation.

Supported versions

Active support

Brightcove provides active support for the latest tvOS SDK on the latest public release of the following tvOS versions:

• tvOS 26
• tvOS 18

Passive support

Brightcove provides passive support for the following tvOS versions:

• tvOS 17
• tvOS 16
• tvOS 15
• tvOS 14
• tvOS 13
• tvOS 12

Understanding support levels

Support is defined in terms of the major version of an OS (for example: tvOS 26). We generally mean the latest release of a given major version.

In order to take advantage of the latest technology improvements from Apple, we offer two levels of support:

• Active: Brightcove will test and proactively fix bugs on these OS versions.
• Passive: Brightcove SDK will support OS versions, but bug fixes will be handled on a case by case basis.

Generally, Brightcove provides active support for the versions of the OS that are used by 80% of the user base, and passive support for other versions used by at least 5% of the user base.

Install with Swift Package Manager (recommended)

The Brightcove Native SDK for tvOS is distributed as a single Swift Package that exposes one library product per plugin. Adding any plugin product automatically pulls in the Core SDK, so you only add the products you actually use.

Each plugin product also resolves the third-party ad SDKs it needs (such as Google IMA) and links the required system frameworks automatically, so most plugins need nothing else. The FreeWheel and Pulse plugins additionally need a vendor SDK that is not distributed through Swift Package Manager; the plugin's reference page lists the manual step.

1. In Xcode, choose File > Add Package Dependencies.
2. Paste the package URL: https://github.com/brightcove/brightcove-player-sdk-ios
3. Choose the library product (or products) that match what you need:

   Library product	What you get
   BrightcovePlayerSDK	Core SDK only
   BrightcoveIMA	Core + Google IMA plugin
   BrightcoveDAI	Core + Google DAI plugin
   BrightcoveFW	Core + FreeWheel plugin
   BrightcoveGoogleCast	Core + Google Cast plugin (iOS only, not available on tvOS)
   BrightcoveAMC	Core + Omniture plugin (iOS only, not available on tvOS)
   BrightcovePulse	Core + Pulse plugin
   BrightcoveSSAI	Core + SSAI plugin
   OMSDK_Brightcove	Open Measurement SDK (used with BrightcoveSSAI)

Install with CocoaPods (deprecated)

The Brightcove Native SDK for tvOS and its plugins can also be added to your project using the CocoaPods dependency manager. The podspecs for all of the Brightcove Native SDK components are hosted in the BrightcoveSpecs repository.

Getting started

Before beginning development with the Native SDK for tvOS, there are a few concepts you should learn about:

1. Media

   The current version of the Native SDK supports playing content from your Video Cloud account through the Playback API, or as remote assets with internet accessible URLs.

2. Analytics

   With the Native SDK, Video Cloud customers automatically get robust analytics data reported in Video Cloud.

3. Core SDK and Dependencies

   The Brightcove Native SDK for iOS and its plugins can be added to your project using the CocoaPods dependency manager. The podspecs for all of the Brightcove Native SDK components are hosted in the BrightcoveSpecs repository.

4. Native SDK Reference

   Learn about the Native SDK, including installation, quick start and architecture. You'll learn how critical components interact to handle the complexities of controlling the native video player.

   You'll also find the latest beta version of the SDK, if one exists.

5. Mailing list

   Join the Brightcove Native SDKs mailing list to stay informed of release announcements for the Native SDKs.

Download the SDK

The Brightcove Native SDK for tvOS is contained within the Native SDK for iOS. Here, you will find a dynamic library framework which supports tvOS.

Get the latest version of the Brightcove Native SDK for iOS:

or select this button:

To view the product updates for all of the Native SDKs and the associated plugins, see the Release Notes for the Brightcove Native SDKs document.

Integrations

The following table contains links to get plugins integrated with your SDK implementation. The plugins can be downloaded from their respective Github Repos, and each repo contains a detailed README with instructions on how to setup the plugin.

The sample applications demonstrate the basic functionality of each plugin integrated with the SDK. These sample apps are a good way to learn about each plugin, and serve as a reference point when debugging.

Previous integration versions

All plugins below are distributed via the unified Brightcove Swift Package at https://github.com/brightcove/brightcove-player-sdk-ios. Add the package once and select the library products you need; see Install with Swift Package Manager above for details.

Samples

The following table contains links to code samples that are in addition to the samples associated with the integrations in the previous section.

Solution guides

The following table contains links to developer docs which will help you get started with your own app using the Brightcove Native SDK, and guide you through some of the features and functionality available.

Best practices

Here is additional information that you may find helpful when working with the Brightcove Native SDK.

Advertising

Companion ads and click-through ads are not supported on Apple TV. Because there is no web browser support on Apple TV, there is no destination for a click-through URL.