Apple Hires Respected Cable Vet, Sparking New Rumors of Apple TV Streaming Service

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Apple has hired a former Time Warner Cable executive, Peter Stern, as vice president of its cloud services division, which oversees the Cupertino company’s subscription based offerings, including Apple Music, iTunes, iCloud and, potentially, streaming television.

The story, which The Wall Street Journal initially broke, has further fueled speculation surrounding Apple’s TV streaming service. Stern is a respected industry veteran who is credited with turning Time Warner Cable around and growing its cable TV subscription base for the first time in nearly a decade, last year. Stern, who left his company following its acquisition by Charter Communications, also reportedly participated in abortive talks between Apple and Time Warner Cable regarding a joint television service that never materialized. He has been vocal in his view that set-top boxes are outmoded and that cable companies ought to begin offering TV services as apps available on a range of devices.

It’s possible that Stern’s role will simply be to grow subscription rates for Apple’s customer-facing services, improving customer relations and increasing revenues from services such as Apple Music and iCloud.

On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that Stern’s hiring presages renewed efforts to get an Apple streaming TV service up and running, by forging content deals with cable companies and developing marketable subscription bundles. As of now, Apple seems to be focusing on getting third-party content providers, such as Fox Sports, to launch apps on its Apple TV.

[The information provided in this article has NOT been confirmed by Apple and may be speculation. Provided details may not be factual. Take all rumors, tech or otherwise, with a grain of salt.]

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