Given how many cable companies there are at the moment, it basically means that each cable company has their own set-top box for customers to use to browse their channels with, but over in the UK, a report from the Telegraph suggests that Apple could be entering into the pay-TV business with the Apple TV in a potential partnership with BT.
Assuming that the deal is legit and it goes through, what this could mean is that BT’s EE customers will be getting Apple TVs that will act as a set-top box for cable TV, and where it would also come preloaded with access to pay-TV content produced by BT. At the moment EE already offers Apple TV to customers, but minus the pay-TV element, so this partnership could change that.
It actually makes sense to use the Apple TV as a set-top box since it will also allow users to do other things with the device, such as purchasing movies via iTunes in case it isn’t being offered by BT. They can also play games and access a bunch of various apps that regular set-top boxes might not be able to offer.
That being said, this potential deal would not be a first for Apple. As pointed out by AppleInsider, Apple has struck up similar deals with Switzerland’s Salt and Canal+ in France, plus to a certain degree there are some similarities with a recent deal that they’ve struck up with Verizon to promote the carrier’s 5G broadband services.
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