Apple To Launch TV Service, Per Time Warner Chief Executive

Apple, maker of iMacs, iPods, iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches, is now setting its sights on TV streaming services. This is according to Jeffrey Bewkes, Chief Executive of Time Warner, the parent company of HBO.

During a conference call, Bewkes expresses confidence that Apple is working on launching a service that provides TV streaming via the web. The official also noted that in light of Apple's partnership with Time Warner's HBO Now, having a TV streaming of its own is a foregone conclusion. It would not be that surprising that the tech giant would launch its own TV-related product too in the near future.

Apple has been considering breaking into TV streaming services for years. But it may have some catching up to do if it does decide to go this route -- Sony's PlayStation and Dish's Sling TV have already made some headstart. 

Earlier this month, there were actually reports that Apple could be launching its own subscription TV service by September of this year. But the company has been mum so far, never officially addressing these reports. But now that the word is coming from one of its partners, this could really be happening a few months from now.

Traditional TV used to viewed only as it airs or broadcasted by networks. But in recent years, more and more TV companies have begun to see the demand for TV content that can be delivered to viewers at their own terms, for a price, of course. And the Internet has certainly provided an easy way of delivering on-demand TV content. This is why services like Vue and Sling have begun to flourish today.

As for Apple, inking a partnership deal with HBO is certainly a good start. Apple's deal with the popular cable TV company involved having its devices become the exclusive digital platforms for launching the online-only HBO Now service earlier this April. While HBO has been more than pleased with the partnership, Apple sees its involvement as a good opportunity to ride the TV streaming momentum in launching its own TV service later on. 

HBO Now itself is one of a few TV services that are breaking new ground. Pay-TV distributors like cable and satellite companies were not too enthusiastic with the idea of online-only services such as HBO Now because doing so might encourage their subscribers to scale back their pay-TV subscriptions. This attitude persists until now. As a matter of fact, regional cable company Cablevision is the only pay-TV company that has partnered with HBO in letting customers of its web services avail of HBO Now.