Apple has approached Time Warner Cable and other large cable
operators about creating an Apple-developed set-top that would let subscribers
access TV programming, The Wall Street Journalreported, citing anonymous sources.
Apple and Time Warner Cable representatives declined to comment
on the report.
Apple, the largest technology company in the world, does not
appear to have reached a deal with any MSOs, the Journal said,
speculating that operators may be reluctant "to let Apple establish a
foothold in the television business."
Whether Apple would sell such a cable-ready box at retail or
only distribute it through MSOs is not clear. Apple has raised the possibility
of being the "exclusive" provider of IP-based set-top boxes for MSOs,
which would supply them to customers, the Journal reported. In the past,
operators have balked at Apple's demand for a 30% cut of transactional content
revenue, according to the paper.
