Apple is celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Beatles first appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” with the addition of a Beatles channel on Apple TV.
The new channel, simply named “The Beatles,” is now available on users’ Apple TV home screens.
The Apple TV icon is a screencap depicting the Lads from Liverpool’s first appearance on the legendary variety show in 1964.
On February 9, 1964, 60% of American televisions were tuned to the Beatles appearance on the Sullivan variety show. (In 1964, there were 3 television networks, and cable and satellite television were in their infancy, and the Internet remained merely a gleam in Al Gore’s eye.) That event is credited with spreading “Beatlemania,” a craze that swept the nation.
The new Beatles channel on Apple TV is featuring the band’s 14-minute appearance on the Sullivan show available for free streaming for a limited time.
The new channel also includes promotional material promoting the availability of The Beatles U.S. albums, available via iTunes.
