Gigaom reports on comments from CBS CEO Les Moonves where he mentions that CBS decided to say no to a proposed deal with Apple that would see its content become part of the Apple TV. Apple of course is rumored to be working hard to hammer out its own content deals as a means to bypass the cable companies. Right now it’s pursuing its Apple TV strategy but there are rumblings that an Apple HDTV set is in the works as well.
The decision not to join the effort follows CBS’s philosophy of getting paid upfront licensing fees for syndication of its content online, as opposed to partnering on revenue-sharing agreements. It’s one reason, for instance, why CBS never followed ABC, Fox and NBC in joining Hulu, and why it seems unlikely to do so in the future.
Recently, a Steve Jobs blurb from his recently released biography claims that the CEO had “cracked” the problem of creating an integrated HDTV. This has only added more speculative fuel to the notion that Apple will release its own standalone TV set. More recently, analysts have claimed that Apple will announce an iTV device by the end of 2012 with a release date set for 2013.
Right now, details regarding an Apple HDTV remain sketchy but it’s certainly something worth keeping an eye on.
via Gigaom
Sat, Nov 5, 2011
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