Apple is courting developers for its new Apple TV platform, stating that its tvOS operating system enables “millions of iOS developers to create innovative new apps and games specifically for Apple TV and deliver them directly to users through the new Apple TV App Store”.

“It’s based on iOS, and built for the living room. And developers are going to love it, because it’s really easy to create apps,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet Software and Services, at the company’s big event this week. “They use familiar tools like Xcode, and they have access to great iOS technologies like Metal, Games Center, UIKit and CloudKit. And with over 11 million developers, we can’t wait to see what apps they bring to the big screen.”

The move is not unexpected.

AppleTV_Remote_MainMenu_Movies_HERONoting the success of apps on devices such as iPad and iPhone, Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, said that “we believe the future of television is apps”. Over-the-top content players such as Netflix and Hulu already have an app-driven model, supporting an increased amount of consumption from mobile devices.

Underpinning Apple’s TV app push is new hardware, with a new control for the set-top box including a touchpad area and supporting Siri voice control features. It also has an inbuilt gyroscope and accelerometer.

A new Xcode beta is available for developers already which includes the tvOS software development kit. Developers can also make a request for the tvOS SDK.

The new Apple TV hardware will be available at the end of October 2015.