Apple aims to sell HBO, Showtime and Starz as a premium bundle

[Shawn Knight]

Apple has yet to produce a streaming television service despite pioneering the movement years earlier and reportedly plugging away at the matter ever since. Its latest proposal is still within the realm of streaming TV but not the cookie-cutter offering you’ll find elsewhere.

Sources familiar with the matter tell Re/Code that Apple is now interested in selling customers a streaming television bundle consisting of HBO, Showtime and Starz. Apple offers access to each of these premium networks individually but not as a complete set.

The move wouldn’t be all that different from how traditional pay-TV operators bundle premium channels although the major difference is that customers are usually required to subscribe to a basic level of TV service before being allowed to purchase a premium bundle.

An Apple premium bundle would sell as a standalone product and be available via Apple TV and iOS devices.

As of writing, you’ll pay $15 for HBO, $11 for Showtime and $9 per month for access to Starz through Apple. It’s unclear how much a package deal would run although if I had to venture a guess, I’d say the $25-30 price range seems about right but again, that’s pure speculation on my part.

Apple’s latest endeavor, an unscripted series called Planet of the Apps, is set to debut on Apple Music in the near future. The company also recently purchased the rights to Carpool Karaoke.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/68775-apple-aims-sell-hbo-showtime-starz-premium-bundle.html

 

[dirtyferret]

Starz is pretty bad, outside of 1-2 movies you may want to see they have nothing.

Also, most people probably just rotate through HBO, showtime, Netflix, Hulu, etc.,

I'll keep two of the above mentioned each month and drop the other two as shows my wife and I watch come on and then end.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Now this would be one of the very last things I'd be interested in even if it was free.

 

[davislane1]

Starz is pretty bad, outside of 1-2 movies you may want to see they have nothing.

The only programming on Starz worth watching comes on after 10:00PM. Anyone interested in films/series watches HBO and AMC.

 

[wiyosaya]

Starz is pretty bad, outside of 1-2 movies you may want to see they have nothing.

Also, most people probably just rotate through HBO, showtime, Netflix, Hulu, etc.,

I'll keep two of the above mentioned each month and drop the other two as shows my wife and I watch come on and then end.

Agreed. Personally, I will wait for things to come to Netflix and Hulu - though I have not been watching much on Hulu. Hulu does have Homeland, and other Showtime stuff. This type of service is just not attractive to me at all especially when it is possible to wait until Netfilx or Hulu get the programs that are produced by HBO and Showtime and others. Netfilx has enough original programming to keep me very interested - Stranger Things, all the Marvel series, etc., as well as enough movies to keep me interested, too. My wife and I especially enjoy the independent and foreign offerings on Netflix. Couple this with OTA, we are set!