Apple Stock News
The newest service that Apple is working to introduce, a live television streaming service for cord-cutters, is now likely to be delayed until 2016 due to slow negotiations with cable companies. This is according to Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources that are familiar with Apple’s plans. The company had been hoping to introduce the new television service that would be delivered over the Internet during the September event for the new iPhone.
A more powerful Apple TV will still likely be introduced during the event with the streaming service absent. Apple had been aiming to release the service then because it would have coincided with the beginning of the new television season. Negotiations with networks such as CBS and Fox have progressed slowly, as Apple is working to find a way to offer a streaming service for around $40 a month. This is roughly half of traditional cable packages price, and Apple is used to higher margins than the traditional cable industry as well.
Apple has been working to redefine the television industry for more than a decade, as it was rumored to be the last project undertaken by Steve Jobs. Introducing such a package has proven difficult, as negotiations have been slow and the company doesn’t have the network capacity to ensure a good viewing experience at this time. The new service could provide a new revenue stream at a key time when sales growth of the company’s flagship product, the iPhone, appears to be slowing.
