Apple to Launch Streaming TV Service by End of 2012: NY Post

The New York Post reports Apple has plans to launch a streaming TV service by Christmas, but is having a difficult time negotiating rights with media companies.

Apple is pushing ahead with plans to launch a streaming TV service by Christmas — despite making little headway in its negotiations with content providers, The Post has learned.

For months, Apple’s point man, Eddie Cue, has been leading talks with content providers, which have largely balked at the tech giant’s efforts to exert control over all aspects of the video service, including pricing, sources said.
Apple’s negotiating stance can be summed up as “we decide the price, we decide what content,” according to one source familiar with the talks.

Apple executive Eddie Cue appears to be headlining negotiations to get companies on board, most likely to bring content to a rumoured iTV or third generation Apple TV, also rumoured to be announced alongside the iPad 3. But it appears these giant media corporations aren’t bending over for Apple, and are playing hardball. Moreover, the rumoured plan is to offer channels as apps, to bring TV into an a la carte option, rather than having viewers subscribe to cable like we currently do:

“They want everything for nothing,” said another media executive, echoing similar tense negotiations Apple has had in the past with magazine publishers and music companies.

Apple is pitching the idea of offering channels as apps for its devices, including its Apple TV set-top box. It’s unclear whether it would group the apps together and charge a fee — similar to a cable-TV subscription — or offer the channels on an a la carte basis.

Last December the WSJ reported Apple was in talks with media companies, previewing their upcoming iTV plans. More recently, the Globe and Mail reported Apple was in talks with Rogers and Bell to discuss iTV plans. Can we cancel our cable yet?

[NY Post via MacRumors]