It could just be as simple as “because we felt like it”, but I think/hope Apple’s doing this because they are trying to strike some deals with content producers for live programmes — sports, news, current events — on the new Apple TV. They just need a large-scale, real-world demo to show that, ta‑da, HTTP live streaming is a viable method, and therefore, yes, Apple TV can provide them a truly international, hybrid live + on‑demand platform that bypasses local TV companies, broadcasters and distributors, and breaks down time zone restrictions. If this is the case, boy, I hope whoever’s responsible for putting this live stream together gets things right.

Crossing my fingers that FOM is one of the parties they’re trying to entice. And hasn’t MLB been doing this for a while with baseball games via their At Bat app on iOS, albeit only in America?

P.S. I wonder if they’ll show it on the big screens at the Covent Garden Apple Store.