Apple's Plan For Its New TV Service: Sell Other People's TV Services (recode.net)

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Apple's Plan For Its New TV Service: Sell Other People's TV Services (recode.net)

Posted by BeauHD on Thursday March 21, 2019 @03:30PM from the spoiler-alert dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Recode: After years of circling the TV business, Apple is finally ready to make its big splash: On Monday it will unveil its new video strategy, along with some of the new big-budget TV shows it is funding itself. One thing Apple won't do is unveil a serious competitor to Netflix, Hulu, Disney, or any other entertainment giant trying to sell streaming video subscriptions to consumers. Instead, Apple's main focus -- at least for now -- will be helping other people sell streaming video subscriptions and taking a cut of the transaction. Apple may also sell its own shows, at least as part of a bundle of other services. But for now, Apple's original shows and movies should be considered very expensive giveaways, not the core product.

All of this might very well work. Apple has an installed base of 1.4 billion users, and some of them will buy the things Apple promotes: Look at the success of Apple Music, which launched seven years after Spotify but quickly amassed 50 million subscribers due to a free trial period and prominent real estate on Apple's devices. Another reason this could work: Amazon has already been very successful with its own version of the same idea. Facebook is also bullish on selling TV subscriptions and is pushing would-be partners to sign up so it can launch later this spring or summer, according to industry sources. Similarly, Comcast (which is a minority investor in Vox Media, which owns this site) is rolling out Flex, a $5-a-month service that gives you a bunch of free content (some of which you can also get other places) and the ability to easily buy HBO, Showtime, etc. Instead of offering exclusive content, Comcast is offering subscribers a Roku-like streaming box. According to people who've talked to Apple about its plans, Apple's new TV service will consist of selling TV subscription apps surrounded by millions of other apps in its main app store. "Apple plans on making a new storefront that's much more prominent for those who use Apple TV boxes and other Apple hardware," reports Recode. "It will also be able to offer its own bundles -- for instance, it could offer a package of HBO, Showtime, and Starz at a price that's lower than you'd pay for each pay TV service on its own."

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streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 15:40 · Score: -1

until i can legally, and just as easily, record and archive programming off the internet as i can already do via over-the-air or with cable tv.. IT'S NOT THE SAME. nor is it worth even half the price. whatever 300-some channels you pay $80-100 for with cable company has to be $20 a month or via streaming, for multiple simultaneous streams, for me to even consider it.
of course, the lack of recording and archiving (they have absolute and total control, not giving the viewer anything) is exactly why the big media companies are pushing streaming so hard...
1. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by registrations_suck · 2019-03-21 16:19 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  Plenty of us donâ(TM)t give two shits about recording, archiving or collecting anything. We just want to watch something. If it is convenient to watch, we will watch. If it is too inconvenient, oh well! It is not the end of the world. We will find something else to do.
  Personal example. We do not have cable TV. We donâ(TM)t regularly subscribe to any viewing alternatives either. We do have Amazon Prime, which has video as a bonus, but it is not why we have Prime and we would have Prime even if it didnâ(TM)t have video. If we want to watch something that is not free on Prime, we will rent it from whomever.
  However, we did pay $15 for a month of HBO Go. We watched what we wanted to watch and cancelled the subscription. That was in November. We will get it again for another month in April.
  Number of things I have recorded since the VCR went out of style: 0
  Number of things I wanted to record: 0
  Just donâ(TM)t care. I canâ(TM)t be the only one.
2. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 16:46 · Score: 0
  
  You donâ(TM)t have a right to archive broadcast tv. You can time shift it, but you canâ(TM)t keep it. Also, WTF would tell someone to do that?
3. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 16:54 · Score: 0
  
  Whatever they call it doesnt matter. It is still a cable bundle and if its more than $15/month it is no better than netflix or amazon. If you have to watch show X and canâ(TM)t wait for it then you become the sucker since you are sol
  I have amazon prime + either netflix, hbo or showtime or hulu, in the end it cost $30/month. Amazone prime is here to stay and in sure apple isnt after a $15/month service
4. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 17:01 · Score: 0
  
  Will Apple censor the shows like they do their apps. Im all for app security, and with that in mind chaterbate app would make total sense
5. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 17:04 · Score: 1
  
  Haha you got HBO just for Game of Thrones. Nice.
6. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 17:24 · Score: 1
  
  You absolutely do have the right to archive it, you don't have the right to distribute said archive. Copyright only protects the right to distribute, not the right to save copies. This has been settled law for decades.
  You cannot separate the ability to archive from the ability to time-shift. Copying shows from streams or over the air is no different from time shifting provided you're not distributing the copies.
7. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by registrations_suck · 2019-03-21 17:43 · Score: 1
  
  Yep. Watched 7 seasons for $15. That is a pretty good value (:
8. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 18:33 · Score: 0
  
  No nudity at all
9. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 18:37 · Score: 0
  
  So tv didnâ(TM)t exist before the 80s?
10. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 19:04 · Score: 1
  
  I got HBO just for the lack of commercials. When I started ditching cable for Netflix I began to realize just how much time I was losing to watching commercials. I began to develop a huge dislike for them and now I actively avoid anything that has them in them.
  Last thing I watched was a show just before the Super Bowl. The hour long show was a full 30 minutes commercials and the Super Bowl had commercials every five minutes, in addition to the halftime stuff. It is absolutely insane how horrible it has gotten.
  And the bad thing is, is that it wasn't always like that. My grandparents and great grandparents watched TV with only two or three commercials in it. Somewhere in my parents generation that changed and everybody became okay with a ton more commercials being crammed into programming. The people who think that is okay are welcome to keep it, I have better things to do than waste time watching that crap.
11. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 23:06 · Score: 0
  
  http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones
12. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by registrations_suck · 2019-03-22 04:11 · Score: 1
  
  I don't generally watch much. Most of it is crap, and I've got other shit I'd rather do anyway.
13. Re: streaming is NOT the same as television... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 07:34 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah but look what it did to you. You're now writing smileys backwards.
Re:swastikas are NOT the same as wreath-bearing... by null77777 · 2019-03-21 15:44 · Score: -1

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So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by Crashmarik · 2019-03-21 16:05 · Score: 1

Well this should be interesting.
Innovate harder I guess.
1. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by Aighearach · 2019-03-21 16:17 · Score: 1
  
  They won't have to convince everybody that they invented cable to cash in; they only have to convince a few percent.
  Give them another 10 or 15 years, they'll probably invent radio too.
2. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 19:23 · Score: 0
  
  Comcast owns NBC and Universal Studios. Let me know when Apple buys a major studio and production house. They had an opportunity when 20th Century Fox was for sale, but that ship has sailed.
3. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by tlhIngan · 2019-03-21 20:18 · Score: 2
  
  Well, think of all the services out there - it literally is a A La Carte menu of channels. Just you now have to manage a dozen subscriptions and services and logins and passwords and incompatibilities.
  Perhaps you're subscribed to Hulu and Disney and YouTube TV. You want CBS and you need to subscribe to CBS' online service. The sheer number of services makes it hard to navigate.and use.
  Apple can certainly aggregate all this into a simple interface to make it easier to subscribe, view and unsubcribe.
4. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by GrandCow · 2019-03-21 22:19 · Score: 3, Interesting
  
  If they can do it and give a better price than buying them all separately... and I mean a REALLY GOOD price discount, maybe.
  
  Can I literally pick only the stations/streams that I want to pay for, and not a bundle that includes 30 things I don't give a mosquitos fart about?
  
  Last question: Will they refuse to put ads in to raise the revenue stream?
  
  If all 3 are a yes, I'm interested in at least seeing what the pricing is.
  
  --
  "Well kids, you tried your best, and you failed. The lesson is, never try." -Homer Simpson
5. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by Cmdln+Daco · 2019-03-21 23:54 · Score: 1
  
  Question four is whether they will sell their 'service' to people who do not have any Apple hardware. If not, the hell with them.
6. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by AmiMoJo · 2019-03-22 01:20 · Score: 1
  
  I just wish there was a simple way to pay a reasonable price for what I want. Is that too much to ask?
  Like I can subscribe to Netflix for a month for 8 bucks and watch a season or two, maybe three. So let's say 30 hours of TV, or 30 cents/episode. And that's the upper limit, you actually get two steams for that and some people watch a lot more than 30 hours worth.
  Can I just pay 30 cents/episode to watch Game of Thrones, or The Man In The High Castle, or any other show?
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
7. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by UnknownSoldier · 2019-03-22 02:05 · Score: 1
  
  Unfortunately, cheap access to media will never happen due to the greed of licensing. The lawyers of content producers have everyone over a barrel with licensing "deals" and there is very little anyone can do about it. i.e. If you want our _one_ show you have to license the rest of our crap that isn't as popular.
  Everyone thinks A La Carte is the solution but that just fractures the market with inconvenience and everyone nickeling and diming the customer.
  Apple would need to buy a few studios -- in order to change this -- which I don't see happening. Apple is no longer disruptive in markets -- they have become a "Me Too" tech company."
8. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 03:17 · Score: 0
  
  Unfortunately no, because unbridled capitalism sucks.
9. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 03:57 · Score: 0
  
  Well, think of all the services out there - it literally is a A La Carte menu of channels. Just you now have to manage a dozen subscriptions and services and logins and passwords and incompatibilities.
  Perhaps you're subscribed to Hulu and Disney and YouTube TV. You want CBS and you need to subscribe to CBS' online service. The sheer number of services makes it hard to navigate.and use.
  Apple can certainly aggregate all this into a simple interface to make it easier to subscribe, view and unsubcribe.
  Their "TV" App on Apple TV, along with their "Single Sign-On", both of which have been offered for around 2 years, at least, is already a big step in that direction.
10. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 04:02 · Score: 0
  
  Question four is whether they will sell their 'service' to people who do not have any Apple hardware. If not, the hell with them.
  Well, considering they have offered iTunes for years for Windows, and offer Apple Music to Android and Echo, I would say there is a fair chance they will offer their streaming service to other platforms as well.
11. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by registrations_suck · 2019-03-22 04:18 · Score: 1
  
  Question four is whether they will sell their 'service' to people who do not have any Apple hardware. If not, the hell with them.
  Actually, I think it is more of a case that if you don't have any Apple hardware, then the hell with YOU. (:
12. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by registrations_suck · 2019-03-22 04:23 · Score: 1
  
  I just wish there was a simple way to pay a reasonable price for what I want. Is that too much to ask?
  Like I can subscribe to Netflix for a month for 8 bucks and watch a season or two, maybe three. So let's say 30 hours of TV, or 30 cents/episode.
  
  That's just not reasonable. You want to spent 30 cents/hour for entertainment? How fucking cheap can you be? I've seen a lot of cheap motherfuckers in my time, but damned dude, you take the cake.
  Personally, I'd easily pay $1/episode for something like GoT, TMITHC, The Expanse, etc. if I had to, and that is still WAY cheaper than any other kind of paid entertainment options I am likely to have on a regular basis. I'd probably pay $2/episode for any of those 3 shows.
  30 cents/hr? You're fucking high.
13. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by AmiMoJo · 2019-03-22 04:36 · Score: 1
  
  But Netflix/is/ 30 cents an hour. It's less if you watch more. I'm being generous.
  They can afford to make high budget stuff on that.
  Saying that I can't even buy it for a buck either.
  
  --
  const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
  SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
14. Re:So they are going Me Too to Comcast ? by Cmdln+Daco · 2019-03-22 12:46 · Score: 1
  
  Apple makes very little hardware worth paying the premium they charge for it.
Most already know about streaming TV... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 16:25 · Score: 1

I'm not convinced this will help Apple's revenue stream significantly - I'd expect the majority of people who have Apple devices already know about Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Youtube and iTunes; it does surprise me that some users sign up already through apps on their devices rather than through the websites, essentially allowing Apple via their App Store TOS to steal from the actual provider.
If their aim is to bring attention to and promote lesser streaming services (alongside their own first party content) then they are only doing the disservice of disjointing our collective viewing experience even further while marginally enhancing their services bottom line.
I get that they're so bankrupt for ideas (thinner and fewer ports, thanks Jony Ive!) they need every penny they can get so it's a vital grab for them... but I predict this will be as successful as their Beats purchase.
1. Re:Most already know about streaming TV... by Dunbal · 2019-03-21 16:39 · Score: 1
  
  The next step of course will be to block Netflix/Amazon Prime/Hulu apps forcing you to pay Apple and go through them. Anti-trust much?
  
  --
  Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
2. Re:Most already know about streaming TV... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 17:26 · Score: 0
  
  Yeah... The only hope is that they do for video production what iTunes did for small musicians and the App Store for indie developers - provide them a way to publish to a mass audience and hope that volume makes up for Apple's cut for supplying the platform.
3. Re: Most already know about streaming TV... by registrations_suck · 2019-03-21 17:46 · Score: 2
  
  How do you figure? You can get any of those other services without going through Apple and Apple has no way to prevent you from doing so.
4. Re: Most already know about streaming TV... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 21:46 · Score: 0
  
  Until they collude and do it voluntarily. Give it time, young one.
5. Re: Most already know about streaming TV... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 00:48 · Score: 0
  
  Until Apple revokes the certificates for their apps and will only let them back on their devices if they're altered to only allow people to use them if they're subscribed through Apple.
  It would be horrifyingly dumb decision to do, but then again, so is removing the headphone jack from a cell phone or the most commonly used port from a laptop.
6. Re:Most already know about streaming TV... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 02:51 · Score: 0
  
  Anti-trust much?
  I still have a hard time taking anti-trust action against Apple seriously, when a person can so easily upgrade to a device which lets them access whatever they want.
  Trustbusting Apple would be like trustbusting Gwyneth Paltrow's "Goop." Consumers can too easily say "fuck that" and the entire problem instantly goes away.
  For all the superficial monopoly-like behavior by Apple, I haven't really seen anything fucked up or dishonest that causes people to feel like they have to buy into using Apple products, nor does there seem to be any really serious legacy leash that keeps people there who want to leave. (Compare that to Microsoft in the 1990s, where even if you hated the platform, it could be very difficult to leave.)
  Apple never seemed to get deleterious network effects going and I've never felt any pressure to switch to Apple. For that, I can forgive them a lot. It looks like their customers choose them either on merit or at least perceived merit (i.e. ads) and that's just a fucking enormously nice situation to be in, compared to how things went with Microsoft. A person can go buy a cheap Android device and their life is just as easy. Where's the monopoly problem?
7. Re: Most already know about streaming TV... by Cajun+Hell · 2019-03-22 03:00 · Score: 1
  
  Let me get this straight: you're anticipating or fearing, that Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu will decide to "fire" over half of their paying customers, telling them that unless you switch to an iOS device, we don't want your fucking money anymore?
  I'd laugh at you if Hollywood didn't already have such a great track record of telling people they'd prefer to not have customers. Ok, so maybe Hulu will decide they don't want to be a for-profit company with customers anymore.
  But Netflix? I really don't think so; they're already in bed with a lot of hardware manufacturers (doesn't pretty much every "smart TV" come with a built-in Netflix client?).
  And Amazon? Amazon?! Fuck no. They are not going to tell all their customers to fuck off. They're a serious business, Walmart serious. They're there to make money from customers.
  
  --
  "Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
8. Re: Most already know about streaming TV... by registrations_suck · 2019-03-22 04:09 · Score: 1
  
  Uh...do you realize these services are available on multiple devices - all of which can be hooked up to your TV simultaneously, and that you can choose which one to watch at any given time?
9. Re:Most already know about streaming TV... by registrations_suck · 2019-03-22 04:29 · Score: 1
  
  A person can go buy a cheap Android device and their life is just as easy. Where's the monopoly problem?
  Move to the head of the class.
  People bitch about Apple having shitty, high-priced, closed-loop products on one hand, and somehow having a monopoly on the other hand. It is total bullshit.
  If you don't like how Apple does business, you can easily go get a cheaper product that is arguably better, any day of the week and twice on Sundays. It is always an option you have, any time you want to exercise it.
  The PROBLEM is that many of the people doing the bitching WANT Apple's stuff, for whatever reasons they may have, they just don't want to deal with its "rules". Well, fuck you! I want to be married to a nice, loving woman who respects herself and still be able to fuck any other woman I find attractive. I can't have that either.
10. Re:Most already know about streaming TV... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 07:46 · Score: 0
  
  The next step of course will be to block Netflix/Amazon Prime/Hulu apps forcing you to pay Apple and go through them. Anti-trust much?
  Enough with the unbridled, unsubstantiated Apple Hate.
Now I can finally get rid of my cable subscription by goombah99 · 2019-03-21 16:26 · Score: 1

Bye Bye cord.... Oh Wait.

--
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Why don't they just by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 16:29 · Score: 0

Make new programs?
1. Re: Why don't they just by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 23:30 · Score: 0
  
  Yes what we need is MORE original programming locked behind YET ANOTHER pay wall. Iâ(TM)m starting to prefer the cable companies.
2. Re: Why don't they just by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 04:32 · Score: 0
  
  you are an idiot.
Great.. by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 16:49 · Score: 0

More boring shit from apple.
More f-ing middle men by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 16:58 · Score: 0

The bane of society, so called "middle men", adding nothing and taking their cut, just jacking up prices...
just what we didn't need.
If It's Apple It's Gold by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 17:10 · Score: -1

en showers all over you. Trump is the first customer.
We all knew it! by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 17:11 · Score: 0

They've been acting like disgusting cable companies now they will be one.
It will probably work... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 17:17 · Score: 0

...because Apple has so many customers. But, it could still be sort of a flop because there are just too many streaming services and people are getting overwhelmed at the choices. I'm a huge Apple fan, but I won't be subscribing to it. I already have Netflix and Hulu and Amazon Prime, plus HBO. If I can't find anything to watch with all of those I will just watch YouTube.
1. Re:It will probably work... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 17:29 · Score: 0
  
  If they do for video production what iTunes did for small musicians and the App Store for indie developers - provide them a way to publish to a mass audience and hope that volume makes up for Apple's cut for supplying the platform and curation, that could be a net win... especially since Youtube's monetization policies have been impacting some content producers there.
  It would be more cacophony overall, however, and likely explode video content markets if they succeed.
2. Re: It will probably work... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 19:10 · Score: 0
  
  I have a ton of movies that I own via Apple. Movies that I stream anywhere there is an internet connection and download to watch later...where there isn't an internet connection.
  If Apple lets me do that with live content, I'm in.
3. Re:It will probably work... by goose-incarnated · 2019-03-21 19:26 · Score: 1
  
  ...because Apple has so many customers.
  
  People buy iPhones and iShinies as status symbols, they don't pick television services as status symbols.
  This is why Apple has been struggling to make a go of it with their TV offering: they don't sell technology, and they don't sell services, they sell image.
  
  --
  I'm a minority race. Save your vitriol for white people.
rent-seeking by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 17:33 · Score: 4, Interesting

... helping other people sell streaming video subscriptions and taking a cut ...

Apple has a captive audience: It gives them the apex of rent-seeking behaviour.
1. Re:rent-seeking by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 21:48 · Score: 0
  
  That's what the Platform model is all about, baby. Now just slide down your pants...
Price matters by Emporiaz1 · 2019-03-21 17:52 · Score: 0

quality is not a problem here but what should be focused is price. everyone should be able to afford and enjoy. www.emporiaz.com
This will work by AHuxley · 2019-03-21 18:00 · Score: 1

None of the political risk of making their own shows that might not sell. No politics, actors, movie scripts, reviews.
Get to curate any political content found to be sinful.
Get money for every show and movie allowed to use their closed garden.

--
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
You're a moron huxster by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 18:10 · Score: 0

Your rants mean nothing.
aPPle by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 18:47 · Score: 0

Apple is a fucking joke now if you ask me...
They have no idea what they are doing hardware or software wise and as a Developer with practical experience in over 16 programming languages, I view Apple and iOS developer akin to riding the short bus...
Literally... Fucking... Idiots...
Why would anyone buy from Apple when they could get it cheaper directly from the actual provider?
I would rather be forced to eat shit and die than have to ever deal with an Apple product or their Retard Status "Solutions."
1. Re: aPPle by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 00:59 · Score: 0
  
  OHYEAH??? I have experienced 32 languages!!!
apple doing what it does best by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 19:44 · Score: 1

taking something everyone else is already doing / done, and copying and putting a 50% tax on it.
Irony by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 20:45 · Score: 0

Apple had one of the first mainstream internet TV devices. But Apple is one of the last to come up with a subscription service.
Donâ(TM)t need to first, just need to be best by shufflingb · 2019-03-21 21:14 · Score: 1

Appleâ(TM)s biggest hits havenâ(TM)t been when theyâ(TM)ve been first to the market but when theyâ(TM)ve been âoebestâ. MP3 players, smart phones and tablet computers; all existed before Apple made billions from them. All existed before Apple spotted the opportunity to create a tightly integrated solution that looked good and worked well for _most_ people. I donâ(TM)t know if they can pull off the same trick with streaming, but the world plus dog piling into it, fractured nature of the streaming market is reminiscent to me of the MP3 market prior to the iPodâ(TM)s arrival, so maybe ...
FROST PIsT by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 21:34 · Score: -1

I've neve!r seen
this FP fOr GNAA by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 21:38 · Score: -1

reformatted NIGGER AASOCIATIoN started work on
Bah humbug .... by Freischutz · 2019-03-21 21:53 · Score: 2

... helping other people sell streaming video subscriptions and taking a cut ...
Apple has a captive audience: It gives them the apex of rent-seeking behaviour.
Not with iTunes it doesn't, it runs on Windows too and releasing a iTunes for Android/Linux would not be a bad idea either. That being said, providing a single access point with a single subscription for multiple TV services seems like a pretty convenient service to me. I for one am not going to subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, Diseney, HBO, YouTube, ... the list goes on, and on, and on ... all individually, I'm going to subscribe to a subset at best. However, if somebody offered me a service that fuses all of them and allows me to watch bits and pieces from any service on demand I'd be willing to pay a subscription for that is considerably higher than I'd be willing to pay Netflix, Hulu, Diseney, HBO, YouTube, ... individually. I'd even be interested in 'packages' If I could pick my package together in something resembling à la carte fashion and could stream already premiered TV show episodes from those channels on demand. Since they are not competing with these guys but offering them an opportunity to earn extra money by giving them easier access to Apple's install base this could actually work pretty well.
1. Re:Bah humbug .... by drinkypoo · 2019-03-22 04:38 · Score: 1
  
  Apple has a captive audience: It gives them the apex of rent-seeking behaviour.
  Not with iTunes it doesn't, it runs on Windows too and releasing a iTunes for Android/Linux would not be a bad idea either.
  iTunes is a dumpster fire. Even my mac-loving friends who won't contemplate switching to another platform say bad things about it on the regular. Who's going to want to run that garbage anyway, just to get easier access to streaming services they can get without it? Answer, no fucking body.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Gatekeepers by esperto · 2019-03-21 22:31 · Score: 1

Their business model is to build a walled garden and be the gatekeepers, only allowing services from outside to interact with the cattle if they pay a hefty fee. This is worst than taxes from the state because, for better or worse, taxes will came back as benefits like roads, conflict resolution (justice), education and health.
Aggregated Guide by Jedi+Holocron · 2019-03-21 23:39 · Score: 2

If they can produce a working and interactive aggregated guide for the "live streaming" services then they will have a winner. Amazon Fire TV does this to an extent with the "channel" or services you can buy through your Prime Video account, including any other the air channels you're streaming via a Recast.
Most "streamers" need to subscribe to more than one service to get the channels they want to watch. Having one guide that covers whatever services you add is desired by a lot of people.
1. Re:Aggregated Guide by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 01:34 · Score: 0
  
  Yes, as shown by Roku. I have a TCL tv with Roku built in, does exactly this. Seriously, apple is bankrupt of new ideas.
  -CMOS
2. Re:Aggregated Guide by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 02:25 · Score: 0
  
  Apple already does this via their "TV" app. Any streaming service that supports it (which is most, except Netflix) will show up in there, and you can search for shows across the supported streaming services. It will also tell you when new episodes are available and keep track of the episodes you've watched along with recommending new ones.
  Since it's post-Jobs Apple, this mostly works. Except sometimes it will randomly crash when you try and resume an episode you've partially watched, and sometimes it will just miss new episodes for no apparent reason.
Their TV service... by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-21 23:45 · Score: 0

So basically this is what we already have. I already have all of these apps on my Apple TV. The only thing new is where you can find them in the store, and Apple adding overhead to the fees?
In other news I'll be selling my Apple TV and just start using my PS4 for these apps instead.
Read between the lines by TimothyHollins · 2019-03-22 00:10 · Score: 1

What TFA is really saying:

The market is getting really fractured again, and pirating what you want to see is becoming more appealing by the hour
Guess it's time to start torrenting once more. I already have to do that with whatever shows Netflix refuses to update (The Good Place, Colony, etc), and whatever shows Netflix won't/can't air (American Dad, Game of Thrones, etc). Disney leaving Netflix just meant I had to torrent those if I wanted them, and Apple making exclusive shows just means I will torrent those as well if they seem interesting.
Cutting the streaming-pie into smaller pieces is bad for the industry, and it won't make me pay for additional slices; it will just make me less likely to pay for what I want.
Apple music by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 00:57 · Score: 0

I switched from Spotify to Apple Music when my friend came over and played the exact same song from Apple that I was playing on Spotify. Spotify sounded like someone recorded the song on their cell phone wrapped in toilet paper and duct tape, while Apple's version sounded like an actual song.
Apple is the consummate middle man by mschaffer · 2019-03-22 01:59 · Score: 1

Apple sells phones & computers they don't make. Why not sell content they don't make. This is a natural fit for them.
1. Re:Apple is the consummate middle man by larkost · 2019-03-22 06:37 · Score: 1
  
  By that argument, all of the computer companies, and most of the phone companies do not make their products either. Almost all of them are assembled by contract companies, such as Foxcon or Pegatron. And then you can argue that they don't make things either because they are just assembling those items from components provided by an army of other companies.
  All of that winds up with a useless argument. The reality is that Apple engineers the product, and is hyper-involved in directing the assembly and testing processes. Apple also is nearly solely responsible for the OS that goes on them, and has a huge hand in the firmware on the components as well. They often also own the machinery that is used in the manufacture and subsequent assembly of those components (to a level their competitors rarely are). For most modern definitions of "making" a product, Apple qualifies.
2. Re:Apple is the consummate middle man by mschaffer · 2019-03-23 15:04 · Score: 1
  
  Wow. Someone got their Apple fanboi rage nerve tweaked there.
  Not all companies are "computer companies". (And what is YOUR definition of a computer company? A company that produces microprocessors, software, boards, embedded systems, workstations, software, cloud services, IT support, Network security....?)
  Not all companies outsource their products.
  Not all companies offer a product as they offer services. (Some may even be "computer companies".)
  Not all companies that offer services do not outsource the service to other companies.
  Your argument about Apple being a "computer company" (whatever that is) and that all other "computer companies" are the same is not part of what I said at all. Also, since there is at least one "computer company" that does not outsource their products or services your argument null and void. Keep your hasty generalizations to yourself and try to keep up.
3. Re:Apple is the consummate middle man by WOPR+Jr. · 2019-03-23 15:26 · Score: 1
  
  Prove it.
Android by fluffernutter · 2019-03-22 02:02 · Score: 1

More ways for people who think Airplay is "DA BOMB" to pay the Apple tax so they can keep using their Apple proprietary protocols that they are addicted to. Me, I paid $100 for an android box, have cheap flash drives for other people's TVs and happily into the wild yonder I go.

--
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Pay me for a speedometer by fluffernutter · 2019-03-22 02:05 · Score: 0

So this is like Jeep selling the crazy shifter that no one understood and killed a version of Checkov that I loved, and offering a sensible shifter as a $1000 option. I wonder how long before cars don't come with instruments at all unless you pay for them. Need to know when to change the oil? Pay $500 for our 'pil alarm'. Capitalism just gets better and better. Imagine how it would be without regulations.

--
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
1. Re:Pay me for a speedometer by drinkypoo · 2019-03-22 04:41 · Score: 1
  
  So this is like Jeep selling the crazy shifter that no one understood and killed a version of Checkov that I loved, and offering a sensible shifter as a $1000 option.
  Not just that, but Chrysler corp. had a superior option in the 1960s. I had a 1960 Dodge Dart that had push-button automatic. When you pushed the button for one gear, the previously-selected one would pop out, so you knew for sure what gear you had selected. They actually went backwards for the sake of being different, and as you point out, it killed someone.
  
  --
  "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
Obvious by spire3661 · 2019-03-22 02:19 · Score: 2

This is exactly what Apple TV does now, it aggregates content. This is the entire function of the "TV" App on Apple TV. It coordinates services and presents a 'unified' search across them..

--
Good-bye
1. Re:Obvious by squiggleslash · 2019-03-22 03:10 · Score: 1
  
  Yeah I always thought this was what the AppleTV already did. I thought it was just basically the same kind of device as a FireTV or Roku, both of which do the same thing.
  What am I missing here?
  
  --
  You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
2. Re:Obvious by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 03:34 · Score: 0
  
  You're missing the part where you'd buy bundled subscriptions through Apple at a presumably lower rate than you'd pay by individually subscribing to all of the services.
3. Re:Obvious by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 03:40 · Score: 0
  
  This is exactly what Apple TV does now, it aggregates content. This is the entire function of the "TV" App on Apple TV. It coordinates services and presents a 'unified' search across them..
  So I'm going to assume you don't own one and have never used one, because you're kinda wrong. Like completely wrong.
  The Apple TV is a device, it connects to a network and to your TV. It lets you display stuff to your TV and have a remote control.
  But from there, it's basically just running apps -- a Netflix App, a YouTube app, an app from whoever makes one. Each app is separate with no overlap -- if I'm watching Netfix, I'm in the Netflix app ... same for YouTube ... same is probably true for the BBC.
  It's literally like an iPod you hook to your TV that has a remote control. It sure as shit doesn't coordinate services or present a 'unified' search -- claiming it does pretty much means you haven't ever used one.
  So if on your phone you have a YouTube app and a Netflix app -- the relationship between those is the exact same as on an Apple TV -- which is to say there's no coordination, aggregation, or unification. They're all entirely separate.
  Please, before you go around mansplaining how something works, do try to actually know WTF you are talking about.
  My primary way of watching video is an Apple TV. And I assure you, each individual app is as separated as they are on your phone. The Apple TV is nothing more than a device which lets you install separate apps which more or less function exactly as they would on your phone, only it's intended to display to your TV.
4. Re:Obvious by registrations_suck · 2019-03-22 04:35 · Score: 1
  
  One thing you neglected to add is that on an AppleTV, you may have 10 different subscriptions (for example), but you can manage them in one place, rather than individually in 10 different apps. That alone is a very nice feature (which other boxes may have for all I know).
5. Re:Obvious by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 05:14 · Score: 0
  
  It's literally like an iPod you hook to your TV that has a remote control. It sure as shit doesn't coordinate services or present a 'unified' search -- claiming it does pretty much means you haven't ever used one.
  Yes it does.
  Scroll to the very top of your home screen on your Apple TV.
  See the tiles for Movies and TV shows?
  There's your unified search, across multiple streaming apps. It will even show what TV shows and movies you've been watching recently and let you resume one directly in its app if you stopped watching it part way through.
  It's not terribly useful and you're better off just using the apps directly, but it's there.
6. Re:Obvious by spire3661 · 2019-03-22 07:37 · Score: 1
  
  Im referring to the App on the Apple TV called 'TV'. It even has a dedicated button on the remote. It centralizes all the services. I have an apple TV 64 GB at home, wired to ethernet running as my HomeKit hub..
  
  Next time, why dont you ask for clarification instead of being an insulting ass.
  
  --
  Good-bye
7. Re:Obvious by mr_lemonade4796 · 2019-03-25 03:06 · Score: 1
  
  Isn't this just Cable TV, but through the internet cable? Apple wants to replace Comcast, not Netflix. Make money off of another company's work, much like the App Store right now.
Apple fan by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 03:27 · Score: 0

FORMER Apple fanboi here.
Ship has not sailed by registrations_suck · 2019-03-22 04:17 · Score: 1

They had an opportunity when 20th Century Fox was for sale, but that ship has sailed.
Disney market cap as of March 21, 2019 is $161.99B. As of Jan 29, 2019, Apple had $245 billion cash on hand (Q1 earnings report).
So, uh, at its current price, Apple could buy all of Disney's shares, own the company outright, and STILL have $83B in cash lying around.
That ship has hardly sailed.
1. Re:Ship has not sailed by DamnOregonian · 2019-03-22 11:36 · Score: 1
  
  I think you're terribly confused about how corporate buyouts work.
  Having played part in a couple of them now, it's not just a matter of having the money. People have to want to sell to you.
  Giving them their flat market share value isn't enticing when the company is doing good.
Apple in the middle won't be cheap by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 06:46 · Score: 0

I doubt Apple will actually gain a lot of traction outside of its own content. Apple will want to big of a piece of the revenue to stream their content.
No surprise by Anonymous Coward · 2019-03-22 07:38 · Score: 0

> Apple's Plan For Its New TV Service: Sell Other People's TV Services
Sheesh. Given that Apple's making a killing riding off of other people's coattails by doing very little themselves (Apple Music? App Store?) it's no surprise they want to keep going down that route and, again, make money just for providing a common infrastructure.
Cable TV of the Future? by mr_lemonade4796 · 2019-03-25 03:20 · Score: 1

Isn't this the Cable TV strategy?
Apple seems to be looking at replacing Comcast, not Netflix.
With all the "Cable" cutting, the missing piece would seem to be an online version of Cable TV.
The question is, why would we be running into Apples ever loving arms for TV Bundles?!
I think most of Apples user base either never knew Cable TV or have forgotten about it.
$100/Mth for 8 streaming services? Add in few pic and choose TV station streams for $1.99? Or TV Stations Bundles for $10?!!
This could indeed be a killer product for Apple.
-T-