Apple plans to start offering an online TV service with about 25 channels this fall, The Wall Street Journal reports. The slimmed-down TV bundle, anchored by networks ABC, CBS and Fox and featuring popular cable channels like ESPN and FX, would be available on all devices powered by Apple’s iOS operating system, including iPhones and iPads, as well as Apple TV set-top boxes.
People familiar with the talks said NBC and its family of cable networks aren’t part of the discussions after a deal between NBC parent company Comcast and Apple couldn’t be made. Some media executives estimate the service will cost between $30 to $40 a month, deeply undercutting the average $90 that cable companies charge — albeit with fewer channels.
Roadblocks in the talks could stall plans to announce the service in June and launch it in September, but Apple’s deal to be HBO Now’s exclusive launch partner appears to have given Apple momentum to enter the TV market.