Apple’s plans to launch its own live, internet-based TV service have been halted.
Back in March 2015 we reported on the iPhone-makers plans to create a service fit to rival cable subscriptions.
It appeared that Apple’s partnership with HBO was just the beginning of its TV plans.
However, according to a report on Bloomberg, forming partnerships with other TV companies proved trickier.
Apple was apparently hoping to create a service with around 14 channels for $30-40 per month. Resistance from media companies has been attributed to the desires of those businesses to receive more money to provide their programming.
Bloomberg cites an unnamed source, but the information does come after CBS Corp. CEO Les Moonves revealed at a conference this week that Apple had put its plans “on hold.”
Apple’s big plans were intended to help TV-watchers in their cable-cutting, switching to an internet-based service. Considering these media companies make a lot of money on pricey cable packages, it’s unsurprising that Apple’s industry-disruptive plans were met with resistance. As Bloomberg notes, most TV bundles cost around $85.
Of course, Apple has already been busy trying to reinvent the ways people interact with their televisions.
When the latest iteration of the Apple TV was launched earlier this year, it opened up content creation to third-party developers, bringing with it its own App Store.
This has provided a platform for individualized subscription services like HBO Now.
It seems for now that Apple is just as happy, and will be just as successful pushing the user experience forward, rather than creating a platform for a more traditional approach.