Apple is in talks with programmers about offering a “slimmed-down bundle of TV networks this fall,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
The service would have about 25 channels, including ABC, CBS and Fox. However, no agreement has been reached with NBC, according to the Journal.
Apple is expected to officially announce the TV service in June and launch it in September for about $30 to $40 per month. It would be available on all devices with Apple’s iOS operating system, which includes iPhones, iPads and Apple TV set-top boxes.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is already making lofty promises about the TV service, CNN Money reported.
“Apple TV will reinvent the way that you watch television, and this is just the beginning,” he said last week while on stage at a product event.
This is not Apple’s first attempt to offer TV service, according to the WSJ:
“Apple and Comcast were in talks as recently as last year about working together on a streaming television platform that would combine Apple’s expertise in user interfaces with Comcast’s strength in broadband delivery. Apple came to believe that Comcast was stringing it along while the cable giant focused on its own X1 Web-enabled set-top box, [sources familiar with the matter] said. One media executive said it may be difficult for Apple to launch a service without NBCUniversal channels.”
Apple also had talks earlier with Time Warner Cable, but those talks never came to fruition. Time Warner Cable struck a deal in February 2014 to sell itself to Comcast. The deal is still awaiting regulatory approval.
Are you excited about the prospect of a TV service from Apple? Would you pay $30 to $40 per month for a “skinny” bundle of channels? Sound off with a comment below or on Facebook.
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