Apple Planning to Launch Subscription TV Service

Apple is reportedly in talks with programmers to offer a subscription TV service featuring several popular channels for a substantially cheaper price than current cable TV packages. Expected to be announced in June, this news will be music to the ears of “cord cutters” who are fed up with the inflated prices of cable television.

News of the TV service comes amid rumors of an upcoming Apple TV overhaul, and amid news that Apple will be an exclusive launch partner of HBO’s new streaming service, HBO Now in April. Apple’s subscription service, which is expected to cost $30-$40, will feature roughly 25 channels from popular networks such as ABC, CBS, and Fox. The service would stream to all iOS-compatible devices – iPhones and iPads as well as the Apple TV set top box. Talks with Walt Disney Co. and 21^st Century Fox Inc. are currently ongoing, and may yield the availability of popular channels such as ESPN and FX to subscribers.

One channel you may not see on the subscription service is NBC. Apple’s relationship with NBC Universal’s parent company, Comcast Corp, reportedly soured last year when the two companies were in talks to create a similar streaming television platform. Apple concluded that Comcast was stalling while developing its own web-enabled set top box, the X1.

Apple is reportedly looking to announce the new service in June, when they announce the newly revamped Beats Music service. The service is expected to launch late in the third quarter of this year.