Apple has long-been rumoured to be working on a streaming service, but has reportedly faced issues with getting TV channels on-board.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean the company has given up altogether, with its latest hire suggesting an Apple TV streaming service could still be very much on the cards.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Tim Cook and co. have hired former Time Warner Cable executive Peter Stern, who was previously said to be in talks with Apple at the beginning of its TV service plans.
Stern will reportedly be working with Eddy Cue on the company’s ‘cloud services’, which seems somewhat ambiguous but is said to include subscription services such as Apple Music and the as yet unconfirmed TV streaming offering.
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Cue also oversees services such as the iTunes Store, Apple Pay, and Apple Music and previously led the negotiations with media companies in connection with the long-mooted TV service.
Stern left Time Warner Cable earlier this year, where he helped grow its cable subscribers after nearly 10 years of losses.
It could simply be that Stern has been hired to bolster Apple’s services division then, but there’s every chance his negotiation skills could be put to use in trying to get TV channels on-board with Apple’s streaming plans.
Apple has been known to hire in areas where it has struggled in the past, buying Beats Electronics for $3 billion to help support the company’s subscription music division.
Perhaps this latest hire is a similar move designed to help Apple with its future negotiations with TV channels and networks.
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Let us know what you think of Apple’s latest move in the comments.
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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.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.