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Two weeks ago, Bloomberg reported on Apple's struggles to reach television content deals that would enable the company to broaden its living room reach by providing set-top boxes to blend live and recorded material. The report noted that cable companies have generally been reluctant to work with Apple as they seek to retain control over the software and other aspects of their businesses, with Time Warner Cable said to be the major cable company most receptive to Apple's proposals.

The Hollywood Reporter now notes (via TechCrunch) that Time Warner Cable Chief Operating Officer Rob Marcus acknowledged at an investor conference today that his company would be willing to cede control over the user interface in scenarios such as those being rumored for Apple's proposals, as long as it can retain the existing customer relationship. The comments by Marcus appear to specifically address integration of the cable company's guide information with Apple's mobile devices, but could obviously extend to other products such as set-top boxes.
Time Warner Cable is "hard at work at a cloud-based [TV] guide experience" and is open to giving up control of the user interface as it looks to make its service accessible via new devices, including Apple's iPhones and iPads, president and COO Rob Marcus told an investor conference in New York on Wednesday.

But he emphasized that this does not mean that the cable giant is willing "to give up the customer relationship" as the company is committed to ensuring that people know its TV services are provided by TW Cable and not any device maker or other third party.
Apple is rumored to have been working on a television product for quite some time as it continues to toy with the current Apple TV set-top box, which the company has repeatedly referred to as a "hobby" that it will continue to pursue as it assesses whether there is a larger opportunity in the market.

Rumors of an Apple television set have largely given way to talk of a new set-top box in recent months, a device that would bring Apple's hardware and software expertise to the consumer cable industry in an effort to meld live television with recorded and on-demand content while integrating into Apple's existing ecosystem. But with both cable companies and content providers being reluctant to strike deals with Apple, progress has been slower than many had hoped for.

Article Link: Time Warner Willing to Cede Control of User Interface in Potential Deals for Apple TV Products
 

ipedro

macrumors 603
Nov 30, 2004
6,199
8,394
Toronto, ON
The way Apple will crack the TV problem is by selling AppleTV boxes to cable companies who will distribute them for free to cable users.

This will put AppleTV boxes in hundreds of millions of homes. Cable companies can provide content such as "channels" in the form of apps and Apple can continue to sell individual TV shows and Movies via iTunes. Cable companies win regardless because they often provide the internet bandwidth necessary for downloading this content.
 

plathunter

macrumors member
Oct 25, 2010
45
0
While I hope this is true I doubt Time Warner will come to terms with apple. I mean we still don't even have the NFL network yet.
 

FNi

macrumors member
Jul 18, 2011
56
20
Anyone else feel this will play out similar to the iPhone? At first carriers were reluctant to give into Apple's terms, but as soon as one did (and they saw the success that came along with it) they all wanted in.
 

goobot

macrumors 603
Jun 26, 2009
6,476
4,360
long island NY
So they are willing to do what AT&T did with the iPhone? Be the ones to provide the service while apple controls the user interface.
 

GiantSteve

macrumors member
Oct 20, 2011
64
0
Good Timing

This would be a good move by Time Warner to head off what could become a stampede of customers fleeing their traditional television offerings. Since I got an Apple TV device about six months ago my cable viewing has declined dramatically. The main reason I keep cable is to view live events like NFL football. The limited offerings of interest to me on cable and the horrendous user interface put me into what I believe is a large, and growing, pool of potential "cable cutters." A new offering from Apple and other providers may be what it takes to reinvent the TV viewing experience and retain market share.
 

rmwebs

macrumors 68040
Apr 6, 2007
3,140
0
I dont see Apple ever 'cracking' the TV market. The only way it would ever work is to effectively have an online stream. There's no way you'd get all the cable companies in the US, and then the rest of the world to agree to the same terms. It just wont work, regardless of how 'magical' the software may be.

If Apple wants it to work, they need to cut the ties that have screwed up television for so long.

Lets take a basic example:

In the US, The Big Bang Theory starts on September 27 in the US. Now, here in the UK we've got no idea when it'll start - it probably wont be till next January at the earliest.

Apple need a single http based tv streaming service to a set-top-box, that allows you to watch programs from all over the world at any time you want - even when they are live. Then instead of your standard ad breaks, the ads would switch over to a local provider (or maybe even Apple's own advertisers) who would effectively license the adspot from the program's network, with Apple retaining a small cut to cover the costs of transmitting it.

The new model would effectively mean that regardless of where you are in the world, you can still watch the programs when they were broadcast, as the adverts being shown would be relevant to your location.

Forget about fancy UI, or an actual TV for now as these really are pointless without the ecosystem being in place first.
 

cplclegg

macrumors newbie
Jun 8, 2011
12
0
I'm a Time Warner subscriber right now after cutting cable TV out for almost 2 years. I came back because their deal for Internet AND Cable was cheaper than just internet from another provider.

I have the infrastructure in place now with Roku and Apple TV and would love TWC to make an app that functions just like the live stream app for iOS. Their basic HD and HD-DVR boxes are the same garbage they have used for what seems like a decade now and the UI is just too much for it.

I just wonder if they will charge an access fee, right now it's $10 a box which is absurd, besides our main box with the DVR I'd rather use my QAM tuner and get local chanels in HD and the rest of basic in SD then pay that.
 

Drunken Master

macrumors 65816
Jul 19, 2011
1,060
0
Good.

The AT&T U-verse app, for example, is very faulty; scrolling doesn't work half the time and it crashes a lot.

I dont see Apple ever 'cracking' the TV market. The only way it would ever work is to effectively have an online stream. There's no way you'd get all the cable companies in the US, and then the rest of the world to agree to the same terms. It just wont work, regardless of how 'magical' the software may be.

If Apple wants it to work, they need to cut the ties that have screwed up television for so long.

Lets take a basic example:

In the US, The Big Bang Theory starts on September 27 in the US. Now, here in the UK we've got no idea when it'll start - it probably wont be till next January at the earliest.

Apple need a single http based tv streaming service to a set-top-box, that allows you to watch programs from all over the world at any time you want - even when they are live. Then instead of your standard ad breaks, the ads would switch over to a local provider (or maybe even Apple's own advertisers) who would effectively license the adspot from the program's network, with Apple retaining a small cut to cover the costs of transmitting it.

The new model would effectively mean that regardless of where you are in the world, you can still watch the programs when they were broadcast, as the adverts being shown would be relevant to your location.

Forget about fancy UI, or an actual TV for now as these really are pointless without the ecosystem being in place first.

Or maybe it's ad-free but you have to pay to subscribe.

Take NFL Pass for example: it only works outside the US (unless you use a proxy server and fool it). You pay a one-time fee and can watch all the regular season games and NFL Network live and once games and shows are done they're archived (at about 720p mostly) and are available on-demand for months. Playoff games are another fee. All advertisements and half-time are cut out of the archived games too.
 

Waxhead138

macrumors 6502
May 18, 2012
473
546
The way Apple will crack the TV problem is by selling AppleTV boxes to cable companies who will distribute them for free to cable users.

This will put AppleTV boxes in hundreds of millions of homes. Cable companies can provide content such as "channels" in the form of apps and Apple can continue to sell individual TV shows and Movies via iTunes. Cable companies win regardless because they often provide the internet bandwidth necessary for downloading this content.

I hope it doesn't mimic the way the Iphone got introduced in the respect that an Apple TV Box could end up being exclusive to one provider for a minimum of two years. That would royally suck.
 

nrose101

macrumors 6502
Sep 9, 2011
355
466
The first real step is to allow Apps on AppleTV. The framework is there they just need to pull the trigger!
 

samcraig

macrumors P6
Jun 22, 2009
16,779
41,982
USA
As a TWC customer in NYC - I beg the question - other than taking my money. WHAT relationship. Their customer service is 99 percent of the time horrible without much regard for maintaining any "relationship" :rolleyes:
 

vigilant

macrumors 6502a
Aug 7, 2007
701
279
Nashville, TN
All TV providers are horrible. All of them.

I'd rather a TV provider like TWC agree to work with Apple, since they are all over the country then one of the smaller providers or providers who are locked into the phone line like AT&T or Verizon.

I would absolutely upgrade all of my TWC boxes for this.
 

SatManager

macrumors 6502
Feb 20, 2012
277
12
Las Vegas
So they are willing to do what AT&T did with the iPhone? Be the ones to provide the service while apple controls the user interface.

Exactly! Apple provides the set top box and software while the cable company provides the infrastructure and billing. The user experience improves, more people migrate from Direct Tv and Dish. Since most cable company's don't directly compete with each other due to infrastructure costs, you could have the same user experience with Comcast or Time Warner or Cox.
 
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