A report yesterday claimed that NBC won’t available on Apple’s web TV service that’s expected to go live this fall because of the company’s falling out with Comcast, NBC’s parent company. Apparently that’s not going to stop NBC from wanting a spot on the Apple TV. NBC is reportedly working on an app for the Apple TV through which it will allow people to stream live content.
Don’t think of it as NBC’s standalone streaming service for the Apple TV, like HBO Now, instead it’s going to be one of those apps that requires a cable subscription. For example HBO Go can only be accessed by people who have a pay TV subscription to HBO. That’s more or less how it will be for NBC on Apple TV.
9to5mac points us towards a “recent” presentation slide which reveals that NBC will be developing an app for Apple TV as well as the Amazon Fire TV and Xbox One. The launch is slated to take place in the second half of this year. Before live streaming can be unlocked users will have to provide their cable credentials.
That said there has already been a lot of movement on the internet TV front. Standalone services from Dish and Sony are aiming for a bigger piece of the market. Even Apple is expected to jump into the fray this year. HBO isn’t far behind as its standalone service launches next month.
How long will it take before the big networks like CBS, ABC and NBC decide to cater to cord cutters as well? Time will tell.