Channels
channels
The Channels integration allows you to control Channels from Home Assistant. Play, pause, seek, or skip commercials on an instance of Channels that is running on your network.
In Apple Home through HomeKit Bridge
What HomeKit Bridge makes of each kind of entity this integration creates, read from its source code. A device only gets the ones that apply to it.
| Entity | Shows up as | Note |
|---|---|---|
media_player | Media player (as switches) | Only TVs and receivers get a TV tile; other players show as power and play switches; Needs its own HomeKit Bridge in accessory mode |
What people report
A user could not get Channels DVR on Apple TV to show state; the issue was closed as not planned.
- Not working1
| Device | In Home Assistant | In Apple Home | What they said | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Channels DVR client on Apple TV | Not working | Media player entity stays Unknown after YAML config; closed not plannedSaved copyThe problem This issue #73452 has been closed but has not been fixed. Following the documentation to the letter simply does not work. Running Channels DVR client on Apple TV. configuration.yaml # channels dvr integration # https://www.home-assistant.io/integrations/channels/ # This integration is hopelessly broken # whether this is pointed towards the apple TV client running or the # channels DVR server it returns # This entity ('media_player.family_room_channels') does not have a unique ID, therefore its settings cannot > media_player: - platform: channels name: AppleTV Channels host: … Excerpt saved from GitHub on 2026-10-23. | Issue #141158 · 2025-03 |
Gathered from GitHub issues, pull requests, discussions and docs, and from r/homeassistant. These are individual reports, so check the linked thread and the date before you buy.
How it connects
Local polling
Talks to the device on your network, asking it for updates every so often.
Details
| Installs (analytics) | 84 (0.01%) |
|---|---|
| Quality scale | Legacy |
| Added in | Home Assistant 0.65 |
| Set up in the UI | No, YAML |
In ReReHome
Whatever HomeKit Bridge shares reaches Apple Home as normal HomeKit accessories behind your Home Assistant bridge, so ReReHome shows and controls them like any other.
Bridges get their own settings page listing the accessories behind them.
