Time Warner Cable in Talks with Apple on Streaming Video Deals
According to Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt, who spoke to investors at the Bank of America Merill Lynch Global Telecom and Media Conference today (via FierceCable), Time Warner is in talks with Apple, Microsoft, and Samsung over potential streaming video deals that are similar to its existing partnership with Roku.
Time Warner Cable brought its authenticated cable service, TWC TV, to Roku in March. With the app, Time Warner Cable subscribers are able to watch up to 300 live TV channels with any TV connected to a Roku device, without the need for a cable box. Time Warner has a similar deal with Samsung to deliver cable programming to its connected TVs.
"You should assume we're talking to everyone who makes devices like this, whether it's Samsung smart TVs, Apple, Microsoft," Britt said at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Global Telecom and Media conference. Britt's remarks suggest Time Warner Cable may eventually offer the TWC TV app through the Apple TV set-top and Microsoft's new Xbox One gaming console, which will debut later this year.
Apple recently struck a deal with the CW network to bring content to the Apple TV through a dedicated CW app, and it appears that Apple is open to other deals that could potentially bring the TWC TV to the Apple TV. Presumably, such an app would function similarly to the version offered via Roku, allowing Time Warner Cable subscribers to use the Apple TV to stream live television channels.
Britt's comments confirm a Wall Street Journal report from last year, which suggested that Apple was working on deals to create a set-top box that would allow user to view live cable channels.
Such deals with cable companies are necessary if Apple wants to expand its product lineup with additional TV-centric products like the "iTV," which has been rumored to be in the works since 2011. At the D11 conference last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook reiterated that television continues to be an "area of great interest" for the company.
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Top Rated Comments
Fantastic headline. I'm sure it will get lots of clicks. As the quote says - one should assume (and don't we already anyway) that if TWC is talking about streaming services - they are talking to the likes of Microsoft, Samsung, Apple, etc
Also - the press should stop referring to it as iTV.
:rolleyes:
In case no-one has said this before :rolleyes:, it won't be called that.
And people will keep saying this every time those three letters are used together in every article about Apple and television. I'm boring myself even typing this.
If these are the type deals Apple is spending it's time negotiating, they need to get a clue! Wow...I get to eliminate a cable box!! :rolleyes:
Allegedly.
For all we know, Time Warner came to the table and said "hey we'll be happy to let you add our Time Warner TV to your service." and Apple countered. "No thanks, we want you let folks subscribe directly to HBO and such via the existing apps. Without needing cable. Oh and stop making folks wait for a zillion months to get legal downloads for Warners stuff."