Apple has apparently placed its internet TV service plans on hold, according to one prominent TV executive.
The launch of the new and improved Apple TV in September was supposed to be only the first part of Apple’s ambitious plan to transform television.
Several reputable reports had indicated that Apple was working on a live TV package to complement the new hardware, and to enable customers to ‘cut the chord’ – or stop their cable TV subscription – for good.
Now Bloomberg is reporting that such plans are on hold at Apple HQ. CBS CEO Les Moonves – who would have been at the heart of Apple’s protracted negotiations with US TV executives – revealed the news at the Business Insider Ignition conference in New York.
“They’ve had conversations on it and I think they pressed the hold button,” said Moonves. “They were looking for a service.”
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It had been reported that Apple had been forced to ditch its plans to launch a live internet TV service alongside its new Apple TV, and instead go for a 2016 rollout. It seems negoitations with CBS, in particular, have not been fruitful. Now even those delayed plans appear to be in doubt.
According to Moonves, however, there’s still plenty of room for optimism. “This will happen,” he said of such selected TV bundles. “It has four major networks and 10 cable networks, let’s say, and the price point will be in the $30s, $30 to $35, $40 maybe. People will not be spending money on channels they don’t want to watch.”
It seems it’s a question of ‘when’, for Apple, rather than ‘if’.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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