Apple 'Racing' to Sign HBO, Showtime, and Starz for TV Service Before March 25 Event

Apple has already invited members of the press to an event on March 25, where it's believed the company will reveal its TV streaming service and Apple News subscription service. Today, Bloomberg has shared a few new details about the upcoming event, suggesting that Apple may preview new Apple Pay features and that most of Apple's original TV shows will miss the streaming service's launch window.

jurassic world 2 apple tv image
Additionally, Apple is said to be "racing" to secure movies and TV shows from partner companies ahead of the event. According to people familiar with the matter, Apple is offering concessions to partners in order to get deals done by a Friday deadline. These include HBO, Showtime, and Starz.

"At least a couple deals" are expected to close by Friday, but it's unclear if Apple will get all the programming from outside media companies that it wants for its streaming service.

Today's report claims that most of the shows and movies on the streaming service at launch will be from outside partners, not Apple's own shows, so the company is attempting to ensure that there is plenty of content to entice customers to check the service out.

At an all-hands meeting with employees in January after announcing disappointing holiday sales, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook told employees how critical services are to the company’s future. This trio of new services will be the first major addition to the portfolio for consumers since the company launched Apple Pay in 2014 and Apple Music a year later.

The idea of an Apple services bundle is also brought up again in today's report, with Bloomberg's sources stating that Apple could offer the TV service and ‌Apple News‌ service at a discount for anyone who subscribes to both.

Lastly, Apple might take time to detail the company's iPhone-connected credit card, built in partnership with Goldman Sachs. Code named "Project Cookie", Goldman Sachs is said to have nearly 40 people working on the Apple deal, while Apple's side is being led by the ‌Apple Pay‌ team.

To find out more information on what might be announced during the March 25 event, check out our What To Expect guide.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
apple watch ultra 2 new black

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Finally Coming After Two-Year Hiatus

Monday June 16, 2025 8:45 am PDT by
Apple will finally deliver the Apple Watch Ultra 3 sometime this year, according to analyst Jeff Pu of GF Securities Hong Kong (via @jukanlosreve). The analyst expects both the Apple Watch Series 11 and Apple Watch Ultra 3 to arrive this year (likely alongside the new iPhone 17 lineup, if previous launches are anything to go by), according to his latest product roadmap shared with...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
terminal macos tahoe

Apple's Terminal App Gets Colorful Redesign in macOS Tahoe

Monday June 16, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's Terminal app is getting a visual refresh in macOS Tahoe, and it's the first notable design update since the command-line tool debuted. The updated Terminal will support 24-bit color and Powerline fonts, according to Apple's State of the Platforms presentation at WWDC25. The app will also adopt the new Liquid Glass aesthetic with redesigned themes that align with macOS 26's broader...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...

Top Rated Comments

swingerofbirch Avatar
82 months ago
I keep thinking of Microsoft in the 90s when they entered any field where someone else started to get a foothold because they might lose out. When Grolier Encyclopedia CD-ROMs became a thing, Microsoft had to come out with Encarta.

Does the world need one more way to get HBO?

iTunes and the iTunes Music Store were a real contribution.

Apple Pay is as well.

But not Apple Music. And except for original programming, which is just a way to lock people into your service rather than the plethora of other choices, I don't anticipate them doing anything interesting in video.

It's just to be in that space.

I think the industry is more interesting when everyone does what they're best at rather than trying to do everything. I don't think you can argue there is some hole in the television market that's being unmet, just like there wasn't in music streaming before Apple Music.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
itsmilo Avatar
82 months ago
The only game changer they could possibly offer but will never happen would be to offer their whole iTunes movie and tv catalogue including new releases and brand new episodes as part of their streaming package.

It took Music Labels long enough to get it. Now studios are going the opposite direction by offering multiple platforms and expecting people to pay

Maybe some day
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Adam Warlock Avatar
82 months ago
Apple TV streaming for only $49.95 USD per month for our Basic package, a paltry $69.95 for Pro and a mere $99.95 for Sooper-Dooper Premium! Our most magical product ever! Trust me! LOL
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
johnyslats Avatar
82 months ago
No doubt Project Cookie will be US only. Really does take the biscuit!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsrcool1234 Avatar
82 months ago
why would they bundle tv + news? wouldn't it be better to bundle tv + music?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DNichter Avatar
82 months ago
I am not sure I see the service as very compelling at this point. I'll wait to see the presentation, but I have always hoped for streaming of iTunes TV Shows and Movies, along with live TV and original programming. I don't really need a bundle of other services, but we'll see.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)