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Apple 'Racing' to Sign HBO, Showtime, and Starz for TV Service Before March 25 Event

Fire, aim? Nice corporate operation there...

Sounds like Bill Gates selling a product he didn't even have at the time. And why would HBO, etc, want to sign on? They have their own established streaming venues. *shrug* Apple can't innovate and release their own content? If not, why are they trying to get into that business.
 
dmylrea said:
Why? If you're into GoT, you already have HBO. Adding yet another way to get HBO (how many ways are there now?) isn't going to do anything to GoT viewership, IMO...
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Because if I can cancel my cable service and get all the channels I need through apple on Apple TV I’m doing it.

Think of this as a competitor to Hulu live and directvnow, but with a decent user interface and good OS integration. I hope they can match the channel lineup that dtvnow had until yesterday, when they dropped a bunch of big channels.
 
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The Apple credit card is something I don't get. Why do this?

I think if Apple wanted to get into Financial Services business, it should open its own online bank. With the Apple's reputation in protecting user privacy and data, and with their excellent two-factor authentication system in place, Apple's own online bank could be a great success. The existing verified iCloud accounts could become bank accounts with a simple opt-in feature. Because iCloud accounts are already divided by countries, there's already a solid foundation in place for setting up Apple online bank presence in most developed and even some developing countries. The Apple bank could facilitate person-to-person payments directly from checking accounts via Apple Pay Cash, bring the Apple Pay Cash debit card in-house from Discover, maybe open a small-business branch that could work well for freelancers, small-business owners, etc., including App Store developers, reduce fees on foreign transactions when done via Apple Pay, etc. The bank could issue personal loans to people directly to be used for various reason, including buying Apple products, such as expensive phones, Macs, etc.

Apple has hundreds of billions of dollars sitting in cash. Since Apple doesn't know what to do with this cash and doesn't want to make any significant strategic acquisitions, such as buying Tesla, for instance, perhaps Apple should use these cash reserves to open its own bank. This would expand the Apple services portfolio dramatically and would contribute to the Apple's bottom line.
 
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sirozha said:
The Apple credit card is something I don't get. Why do this?

I think if Apple wanted to get into Financial Services business, it should open its own online bank. With the Apple's reputation in protecting user privacy and data, and with their scellent two-factor authentication system in place, Apple's own online bank could be a great success. They can facilitate person-to-person payments directly from checking accounts via Apple Pay Cash, bring the Apple Pay Cash debit card in-house from Discover, maybe open a small-business branch that could work well for freelancers, small-business owners, etc., including App Store developers. The bank could , issue people personal loans directly. The Apple bank could issue people personal loans directly to be used for various reason, including buying Apple products, such as expensive phones, Macs, etc.

Apple has hundreds of billions of dollars sitting in cash. Since Apple doesn't know what to do with this cash and doesn't want to make any significant strategic acquisitions, such as buying Tesla, for instance, perhaps Apple should use these cash reserves to open its own bank. This would expand the Apple services business dramatically and would contribute to Apple's gross and net incomes.
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The regulatory implications of opening its own bank would be pretty overwhelming and open apple up to a lot of risk. Just imagine when some random president starts using it to launder money from foreign governments. Or the bad press when they have to foreclose on some grandma’s loan.
 
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MacRumors said:
Today's report claims that most of the shows and movies on the streaming service at launch will be from outside partners, not Apple's own shows, so the company is attempting to ensure that there is plenty of content to entice customers to check the service out.
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If this is true, I’m going to laugh.

Apple will make it sound like an innovative and ingenious idea to bundle live channels together on their platform. I suppose if PlayStation Vue and Hulu do it, then so should Apple. /shrug
 
I just hope they offer an all in one Prime like package. (movie/tv, music and news/magazine thing) at a reasonable cost. I can dream right? LOL
 
DNichter said:
I am not sure I see the service as very compelling at this point. I'll wait to see the presentation, but I have always hoped for streaming of iTunes TV Shows and Movies, along with live TV and original programming. I don't really need a bundle of other services, but we'll see.
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Thank you, first time I see you this way! Love it :)

Yeah, I feel the same. I doubt it will be any good. I wish Apple surprised us with some other updates too. Unlikely though
 
itsmilo said:
The only game changer they could possibly offer but will never happen would be to offer their whole iTunes movie and tv catalogue including new releases and brand new episodes as part of their streaming package.

It took Music Labels long enough to get it. Now studios are going the opposite direction by offering multiple platforms and expecting people to pay

Maybe some day
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I already pay $35 for streaming (Netflix, Hulu, Apple Music, CBS all access, I’m not counting prime video as that’s included with my prime). If apple did a $20-40 service and just not include Netflix/Hulu originals, but everything else, I’d Drop Netflix/Hulu/CBS all access.
 
nfl46 said:
HBO is crucial! I'm sure Game of Thrones will break records next month.
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Maybe to you but not to me. The only time I have or watch HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, or Starz is when I get them free for a few months during a promotion. I usually quickly tire of their garbage reruns. They all pretty much run the same movies over and over again. I haven't felt the need to pay for any of those bloated, useless premium garbage channels in years. If they have a decent original show, which is rare IMO, it will eventually be available through Hulu or some other service and on Blu-ray.
 
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cmaier said:
Because if I can cancel my cable service and get all the channels I need through apple on Apple TV I’m doing it.

Think of this as a competitor to Hulu live and directvnow, but with a decent user interface and good OS integration. I hope they can match the channel lineup that dtvnow had until yesterday, when they dropped a bunch of big channels.
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So you're trading services...how is that going to help GoT "break records"? Did you read the post I was replying to? The net effect with you dropping cable and picking up the Apple service is a big ZERO. Trading one for another...
 
dmylrea said:
So you're trading services...how is that going to help GoT "break records"? Did you read the post I was replying to? The net effect with you dropping cable and picking up the Apple service is a big ZERO. Trading one for another...
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My point is only that it can be a very compelling service. And by bundling, people who aren’t interested in HBO but are interested in other programming on the service may get HBO as an add-in. I don’t care if it “breaks records” and I don’t think it has to be “game changing.” It has the potential to be a very nice service that gets a very big foothold in the cord cutting economy.

Also, your post (that i quoted) said nothing about GoT or breaking records, so it’s not fair to chastise me for not responding to a point I didn’t respond to because you didn’t make it.
 
There seems to be some misunderstanding or maybe it's just me..lol But HBO and Showtime are addons. They're NOT included even if apple includes them. Think youtube tv that can add showtime for a price. But this is not new at all. All the streamers have these options just about. It's the same tired nonsense.
 
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Content is key to success on any platform. Apple should have "already secured" these licenses through negotiation long ago, instead of doing some last minute "racing to secure the licenses."
 
In Canada we have crave for this. It’s included with premium cable and works on Apple TV. For once Canada got something right with media.
 
cmaier said:
Because if I can cancel my cable service and get all the channels I need through apple on Apple TV I’m doing it.

Think of this as a competitor to Hulu live and directvnow, but with a decent user interface and good OS integration. I hope they can match the channel lineup that dtvnow had until yesterday, when they dropped a bunch of big channels.
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Huh? Rumors suggest Apple isn't doing anything like this. This isn't youtube tv, hulu live, dtvnow, etc with live channels including locals. This is Apple doing a few original shows, maybe contracting some existing content that seems to get recycled to death among everyone, partnering with additional paid services like hbo, and that's about it.

It's netflix lite. Emphasis on lite.

I'm not sure how Apple can keep a straight face and think to charge more than half of a netflix sub for this.
 
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adamw said:
Content is key to success on any platform. Apple should have "already secured" these licenses through negotiation long ago, instead of doing some last minute "racing to secure the licenses."
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Odds are the streaming launch timeline has been accelerated after the 'surprise' iPhone revenue shortfall last quarter. Would explain why they are behind on these deals as well as 'launching' before their original content is ready.
 
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adamw said:
Content is key to success on any platform. Apple should have "already secured" these licenses through negotiation long ago, instead of doing some last minute "racing to secure the licenses."
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I'd say Apple has the netflix playbook and intends on trying to duplicate it. You don't see Netflix buying time warner or other existing content. They can't. They spend to license it for a time. I'd say Apple is looking to do the same. And the content available for licensing is what you'd expect, the same tired content that appears and disappears already from amazon or netflix.

One has to wonder if that's the right approach given Apple's cash. I'd say the lack of aggressive acquisitions means apple isn't all in on this. This seems like Tim pulling strings. But I think in this streaming market, they'd have to be aggressive...if they're going to do this and commit to it. FWIW, I always thought this was a bad idea for Apple and nothing has changed that.
 
cardfan said:
Huh? Rumors suggest Apple isn't doing anything like this. This isn't youtube tv, hulu live, dtvnow, etc with live channels including locals. This is Apple doing a few original shows, maybe contracting some existing content that seems to get recycled to death among everyone, partnering with additional paid services like hbo, and that's about it.

It's netflix lite. Emphasis on lite.

I'm not sure how Apple can keep a straight face and think to charge more than half of a netflix sub for this.
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There have been numerous rumors about apple trying to get all the standard networks on board (Viacom, Disney, etc.). Even the current report this thread is based on is vague on the topic - it mentions hbo and showtime and STARZ, but does not suggest that these are the only ones.
 
Give people the option to subscribe to a bundle created by themselves, for example:

I currently subscribe to Apple Music, let me add the video service at a discounted rate. Or those that want magazines/news let them add that instead (if they don’t want video streaming).

I already have Apple Music and Netflix, Apple need to give me a reason to subscribe to their video service, that’s if it even comes to those of us in the U.K
 
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After years of preparation, they run around just one week before the big premier
and beg HBO and Showtime to get onboard.
Yeah, you can see how "professional" they are LOL
 
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