Apple’s plans to release a 14 channel streaming service for $30 to $40 a month has been put “on hold” according to CBS Corp. Chief Executive Officer Les Moonves during an interview at a conference earlier on Tuesday.
Moonves went on to say “This will happen. It has four major networks and 10 cable networks, let’s say, and the price point will be in the $30s, $30 to $35, $40 maybe. People will not be spending money on channels they don’t want to watch.”
The question is will Apple TV live streaming service be competitive with only 14 channels for $30, or more, a month when Sling TV gives people 20 channels for $20? It sounds like Apple TV is trying to get local channels and that may help people who cannot get over the air channels; yet most people in the United States can get local channels free over the air with a onetime purchase of an antenna.
A source inside Apple told Bloomberg that Apple will focus on getting more channels into the App store as a replacement for the live TV service they had hoped to offer. Yet, in terms of apps, the Apple TV is still far behind Roku and Fire TV.
During our interview with the CEO of Tablo DVRs he mentioned that programming for the Apple TV was not as simple as just porting over an iPhone app. Problems ranging from issues with the interface to the strict limitations enforced by Apple makes moving apps from the iPhone to your Apple TV no small task.
The loss, or delay, of the Apple TV streaming service will make it significantly harder for Apple TV to regain the top spot as the most owned set top box in your living room. While Apple will still sell a lot of Apple TVs they will have a tough sale to convince Roku and Fire TV users to switch to the Apple TV.
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Source: Bloomberg