Comcast Might Have Just Screwed Up Apple’s Television Plans, Or Not
February 14, 2014
This has been an interesting week in media. First we heard that Cupertino was pushing ahead on a “less ambitious” TV service. Soon after, we heard that Comcast, the largest cable provider in America, wants to buy Time Warner Cable, the nation’s second largest.
Is this good, or bad news for Apple? That depends on who you ask, according to Fortune.
USA Today, TheStreet, Forbes, Mashable, and Geekwire have all decided Comcast’s move is bad news for Cupertino, and for the Apple TV.
Each notes that Apple’s Eddy Cue has already worked out a deal with Time Warner Cable to stream content through the next-generation Apple TV.
That deal is likely to be dead on arrival thanks to Comcast.
Hogwash, says The Wall Street Journal’s Brian Fitzgerald, who asked, "What if the next Apple TV is the new set-top box that plays ball with cable?"
I’m in the camp that believes Apple was probably blindsided by Comcast’s bid for Time Warner Cable. As a result, I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple’s plans for TV service, at least in the near future, are even “less ambitious” than many believed just earlier in the week.
With that being said, nothing is set in stone.
For one, U.S. regulators are the ones that will ultimately decide whether Comcast can buy Time Warner Cable. That decision, which is far from certain, could be months away. For another, few actually know what Apple wants, or wanted to do, with television in the first place. So in many respects, we're at a loss.
It will be interesting to see how all of this shakes out. As usual, we’ll keep you updated.
See also: References To The Next-Generation Apple TV Spotted Inside iOS 7 Software Builds, Report: New Apple TV Hardware Will Be Announced As Early As April, and Ladies and Gentlemen …The Beatles Are On Apple TV.
