Apple wants TV companies to do all the streaming leg work

2 Apr 2015

Before Apple considers launching its proposed streaming service, it is asking TV companies that want to stream their content to also manage their own streams, most likely to save costs.

Due to launch sometime later this year, Apple’s as-yet un-named streaming service is attempting to take on the might of Netflix who clearly dominate the market, but will need to assure that it has enough content and is working from the get-go.

According to Re/code, executives within the industry confirmed Apple’s demand for TV companies’ running their own streams through the service with some of the proposed TV networks – Disney, Fox and CBS – already have functional streams on their own sites, which Apple feel could save them both time and money.

Other sources within Apple however say that the reasoning behind the decision is more to do with a preference for sticking with what they know best, those being, software and hardware while leaving the established services to run what they know best.

Other speculation puts the decision down to self-preservation for Apple with the world’s most valuable company fearing the influence of major US broadband providers and their own streaming services who could penalise Apple on issues if they decided to manage other companies’ streams.

Streaming TV image via Shutterstock

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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