Streamers and cord cutters that are also fans of popular HBO shows such as “Game of Thrones” were thrilled earlier this year when a partnership between Apple and HBO brought HBO’s new over-the-top (OTT) service, HBO Now, to popular Apple devices. Since the service has been out for a while and is available on other devices such as Sling TV, Apple is wasting no time in coming up with new products that will appeal to those who have been eager to stream content on their devices and ditch their Satellite and Cable TV subscriptions.
What is Apple Web TV?
A new OTT service is now rumored to be in the works by Apple, with a possible preview to be held during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference. This conference will be Apple’s 26th annual meeting for developers, and will be held June 8- 12 at Moscone West in San Francisco, CA. After the conference, the service is then expected to be rolled out in the United States in late September.
While few concrete details are currently available, it is expected that the new service will be subscription based, cost around $35 a month, and include about 25 traditional Network and Cable TV channels, such as CBS and Fox as well as the Disney and Discovery Channels. According to the rumor first reported in the Wall Street Journal, NBC Universal channels are not expected to be part of the service. Some have speculated that this is due to Apple having a previous disagreement with NBC’s parent company, Comcast, or that Comcast and NBC may be developing their own OTT service.
Of course, there have been rumors in the past that Apple was interested in developing an online streaming content platform that would potentially compete with other providers of streaming content and traditional Cable providers, but the current rumor seems to be more details than anything that has been released in the past several years.
What This Means for Apple’s Competitors?
If the rumors are true, Apple Web TV is expected to compete directly with the new Sling TV subscription service, which offers streamers and cord cutters a streamlined package of 14 popular Network and Cable TV channels for just $20 a month. While Sling TV has seen a steady stream of new users sign up for their service, there have been a few hiccups along the way, with Sling TV apologizing to some users who were not able to view the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four Tournament matches. Services like Sling TV, HBO Now and Apple Web TV will need to work hard to eliminate these types of service interruptions if they hope to become true alternatives to traditional Cable TV Subscription services.
What Will Apple’s New Service Mean for Streamers and Cord Cutters?
In general, more competition in a market sector has traditionally meant more choice for users, as well as lower prices. As more vendors offer OTT services alongside traditional streaming providers such as Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime Instant Video, choices increase. But as more providers of these services become available, if users subscribe to several streaming and OTT services at the same time, the overall cost may not be lower when compared with a traditional Satellite or Cable TV subscription plan.
Does the Prospect of Apple Web TV Tempt You to Cut the Cord?
As always, we are interested in what our readers think, so please be certain to leave your feedback in the comments section below. What do you think about these latest rumors? Are you interested in a new subscription based service from Apple that offers a slimmer channel lineup and a lower price than a more traditional Cable TV provider? Will it make you more likely to go ahead and cut the cord to your traditional Cable TV subscription or will you consider adding it to other streaming services to which you already subscribe?
With all of these new choices for streaming content, do you now wonder if perhaps a traditional Cable TV subscription with bundled services might be a more economical choice in the long run? Before you make a decision to add new streaming services or eliminate your Cable TV service, why not use our handy comparison tool to search for deals and make certain that you are truly getting your money’s worth for the content that you want to watch?
Don’t forget to check back with us frequently for more news about this new service from Apple, as we will provide a follow up article about Apple Web TV in the coming months, once more details are available.
Photo Credit: Bfshadow
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