Apple Working on a Premium TV Bundle With HBO, Showtime and Starz
Apple is working on a premium TV bundle that would include HBO, Showtime, and Starz, according to Re/Code.
Apple once hoped to reinvent television by offering an internet television service where users could pick only the channels they wanted. Although those plans appear to have been scuttled, the company hasn’t given up on trying to sell pay TV.
Cupertino hopes to roll HBO, Spotify, and Starz into one subscription package that would be available on iOS devices and Apple TV.
As Re/Code notes:
The difference: Traditional pay TV operators, like Charter, usually require consumers to subscribe to a basic level of TV channels before it will sell them a premium bundle. Apple could sell the bundle as standalone product.
Apple currently offers separate bundles for each channel. These are priced at $15 for HBO, $11 for Showtime, and $9 for Starz
It’s not yet known what Apple hopes to charge for a premium TV bundle. Purchased separately, the three channels cost $35 per month. Because of this, I would think the sweet spot for such a bundle would be around $25, which still might be too much for many users to justify.
Assuming Apple reaches an agreement with all three networks, I would assume the bundle would be announced at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), which begins on June 5.
Would you buy a premium TV bundle from Apple? Leave your comments below.
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