Paul Morris on April 3, 2017, 8:25 pm

Apple Looking To Offer HBO, Showtime, Starz TV Channels In A Bundle

Are you happy with the current way you get premium TV delivered to your large screen, or, if you are deeply embedded into the Apple ecosystem, would you rather the Cupertino-based giant took responsibility for that too?

If the latter, then you could be in for some good fortune with a new report suggesting that the company is looking to offer HBO, Showtime, and Starz as part of a premium TV package deal delivered directly to its range of iOS and tvOS-powered devices.

Apple already utilizes its impressive infrastructure and large user-base to deliver cutting-edge television via the aforementioned TV channels separately. Consumers can currently get access to HBO for a recurring payment of $15 a month, Showtime for $11 a month, and the Starz TV experience for a smaller $9 monthly fee.

It’s evident that a fairly decent proportion of users will take the opportunity to subscribe to all three channels, and access those channels on devices like the fourth-generation Apple TV, so in Apple’s mind, it would make perfect sense to bundle those together and offer them all for a monthly fee which would equate to less than paying for all independently.

According to the report, Apple has already started the process of approaching the networks to try and sound out a deal about packaging the channels together into a single purchase bundle. The report does suggest that Apple has yet to officially finalize any type of deal of this nature with those networks, which could mean that the deal is likely in a fairly early stage of the process. If successful, the proposition would actually be quite unique in the fact that other paid TV operators generally require a basic TV package to be purchased before that consumer could tag on additional, chargeable premium experiences. Apple’s proposed offering would work slightly different to that.

Whether, or if this proposed venture will actually get off the ground is another story altogether. Tim Cook’s Apple has attempted to venture into this world in the past, with all previous efforts, such as Apple’s attempts to piece together a TV streaming service, hitting roadblocks and eventually falling by the wayside. Whatever happens this time around, it’s fair to suggest that Apple will make it into the world of TV and movies at some point.

(Source: Recode)