Report: Apple TV subscription service expected this fall


The technology giant is in talks with programmers to offer a slimmed-down bundle of TV networks this fall, according to people familiar with the matter. The service would have about 25 channels, anchored by broadcasters such as ABC, CBS and Fox and would be available on Apple devices such as the Apple TV, they said.

Interestingly,Comcast is reportedly withholding NBC content in favor of its own X1 platform. Something to ponder with the Time Warner-Comcast merger still pending regulatory approval.

To me what will matter is the flexibility in the packages. To make this valuable to content providers, Apple will most likely need to bundle channels, but they obviously have to compete on price with cable/dish bundles. So, there needs to be a minimum bundle that's affordable, but still flexible enough to let people add additional content.

Second is access to on-demand content. For us, we use TiVo and can wait a long time before getting around to binge watching a season of a show. So, we'd like to keep long-term access to shows that at minimum aired since we subscribed. It would be pretty nifty too if we had access to back libraries of seasons, but that might be dreaming.