Thirteen Explore vs BBC America
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Thirteen Explore
Stream full episodes of popular PBS and THIRTEEN programs, including Masterpiece, Nature, and Frontline, directly to your iPhone and iPad. Access New York-centric shows and livestream THIRTEEN if you're in the NYC metro area. Cast content to your TV using Apple TV and Chromecast.
- Stream full episodes
- Masterpiece, Nature, Frontline
- New York-centric shows
- Livestream THIRTEEN (NYC)
- Cast to TV
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Your favorite THIRTEEN and PBS programs like Masterpiece, Nature and Frontline - streamed right to your iPhone and iPad! THIRTEEN Explore includes: * Full episodes from programs such as Masterpiece, American Masters, PBS NewsHour, Great Performances, Nature, NOVA, Antiques Roadshow and Frontline * New York-centric shows like NYC-ARTS, MetroFocus, Treasures of New York and NJTV News * Stream via Apple TV and Chromecast to your TV * Livestream THIRTEEN (must be in the NYC metropolitan area)
BBC America
Stream full episodes of popular BBC America series like Killing Eve and Top Gear. Access video extras, sneak peeks, and live TV with your cable provider login. Resume watching where you left off.
- Full episode streaming
- Video extras and sneak peeks
- Live TV streaming
- Cable/satellite provider login
- Resume watching
- Searchable library
- Airplay/casting support
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Get caught up in your favorite BBC America shows with full episodes, video extras, and sneak peeks at upcoming series. Log in with your cable or satellite provider to watch BBC America LIVE or full episodes of Killing Eve, Top Gear, The Graham Norton Show, and more of your favorite series. Plus you can search the library and track recently-viewed episodes and resume where you left off. Most full episodes require a cable or satellite login, though season premieres are sometimes made available with no login required. You can also sample trailers and behind-the-scenes clips. New episodes are available in-season, usually the day after broadcast. Use your iPhone or iPad to Airplay or cast to your television.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Thirteen Explore at 70% against BBC America's 5%. Thirteen Explore also leads on rating (4.8 vs 1.9) and monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases). BBC America's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 5 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Thirteen Explore holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thirteen Explore has 5.8K ratings behind it against 589, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Thirteen Explore's written reviews are positive against 5% of BBC America's.
Thirteen Explore ships an update every 5 months, BBC America monthly. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.
| Parameter | Thirteen Explore | BBC America |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (5.8K ratings) — better | 1.9 (589 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 69.5% of reviews — better | 5.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5.8K — better | 589 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 63 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Thirteen/WNET | BBC America |
Customer experience
Thirteen Explore
BBC America
User reviews
Thirteen Explore
From 5.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Quality entertainment and education
- 👍 Variety of programming
- 👍 Reliable and trustworthy content
- 👍 Ability to watch missed episodes
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app with login and playback issues
- 🤔 Lack of user-friendly features (e.g., episode tracking, Chromecast support)
- 🤔 Limited content availability for Passport members
BBC America
From 589 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⭐ Great app for watching shows
- 🚀 Streams in high quality
- 👍 Straightforward and easy to use
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
- 🤯 Frustrating navigation and controls
- 💸 Too many ads and interruptions
- 🤔 Inconsistent content availability
Bugs and requests
Thirteen Explore
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login screen freezes or doesn't work
- Playback issues, such as app crashing or getting kicked out
- Incompatibility with certain devices (e.g., Firestick)
Requested features
3 requests- Add episode tracking and resume playback functionality
- Improve Chromecast support with features like closed captions
- Expand Passport content library to include more archived shows
BBC America
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues and sign-in problems
- Playback freezes and restarts randomly
- Closed captions not working as expected
- Casting and mirroring features broken
Requested features
4 requests- Add search and browse functionality
- Improve rewind/fast-forward controls
- Provide a paid ad-free subscription option
- Sync playback progress across devices
In-app purchases
Thirteen Explore
No in-app purchases
BBC America
No in-app purchases
