Apple’s subscription TV service may have its first partners
Rumors have circulated that Apple wants to launch a subscription TV service that would deliver content to your TV via the Internet, and now it looks this may become reality as two major networks appear to be agreeing to it.
It appears that Apple may have found its first network partners for its rumored subscription TV service in the likes of CBS and Disney, which owns ABC. According to The Wall Street Journal, the two companies are in talks with Apple, but all three parties declined to comment on any plans that they might have to work together.
If this plan does come together, it would represent a major business model shift for Apple that has, up until now, only sold media via its iTunes Store. The plan would include the ability to subscribe to a network, or perhaps even just a given show, and have the content delivered via the Internet to your computer, iPhone, iPod or Apple TV. This would remove the need to store your purchases, which can be a significant amount of computer space if you choose to buy them in high definition.
For Apple to succeed with such a plan it would need a goodly number of shows to entice anyone to use the service, and adding two of the largest American networks would certain put them down the right path. This could also be a major boost to the Apple TV product which has had lackluster sales because it would make it simple for people to watch their shows on their actual TVs as opposed to having to huddle around a computer screen.
The potential biggest losers in this deal would be the cable and satellite providers. How much of an impact this would have on them is hard to gauge at this early stage, but the dream of people being able to dump their current TV subscriptions would certainly be one step closer if this comes to pass.
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