Apple TV service maybe/probably being released this Fall
Apple TV Cable Thing may finally be ready to be revealed to the world. The Wall Street Journal people are reporting that it’ll be a smaller service than typically expected from cable companies. Around 25 channels. But for folks rocking the cord-cutting, it may just what they want.
According to the WSJ, Apple is aiming to announce its new service around June and roll it out this fall. There are no confirmed, concrete details at this point, but the idea is for the service to offer live streaming TV along with an on-demand library to be stored in the cloud. Subscribers would be able to watch on Apple products including Apple TV, iPhones, and iPads.
The company is negotiating with programmers to offer a bundle of about 25 channels including broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, and Fox, and popular cable channels like ESPN and FX. That’s a lot smaller than the typical cable package, but the smaller bundle will come with a correspondingly smaller price tag. A subscription is believed to cost around $30 or $40 a month.
Apple’s new service is intended to target cord cutters — consumers who enjoy online video but don’t like paying for expensive cable subscriptions that come with hundreds of channels they don’t even want. (There is an argument to be made in favor of that model — basically, that it subsidizes smaller channels that might not stand a chance otherwise — but that’s a different story.)
The news comes after years of on-again, off-again talks between Apple and various media companies. However, the WSJnotes there are still some speed bumps. Apple wants the rights for some programming, such as full seasons of shows, that may have already been licensed to Netflix, Hulu, or similar services.
Moreover, NBCUniversal is not currently in talks with Apple after the two companies had a falling out. Apple and Comcast (NBCUniversal’s parent company) had been considered developing a streaming television platform together, but Apple started to believe Comcast was “stringing it along” to work on its own X1 set-top box. NBCUniversal owns several popular channels including Syfy, Bravo, and of course NBC.
For me? I’m a sports whore. Until Apple or whomever is ready to drop NFL Network, NESN (local sports channel), NHL Network, and the such on their service, I’m bound. Tethered. To my Cable Leviathan. How about you?