Is Apple looking for partnership with HBO, Showtime, Starz to launch video distribution service?

by FuYong Hua

Apple is said to announce its own video distribution service at a special event held on March 25, 2019, and is looking for partnerships with cable television stations such as HBO, Showtime, and Starz to receive supply of content to be distributed by the service. It has been reported that

Apple Races to Get Studios Signed Up for New Streaming Service-Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-13/apple-races-to-get-studios-signed-up-for-new-streaming-service

Apple reportedly close to adding HBO, Showtime, and Starz to upcoming video service-The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/13/18264007/apple-video-service-hbo-showtime-starz-streaming

The story of Apple providing its own video distribution service has been around 2015, not just for the special event held on March 25, 2019.

Apple is seeking to deliver original video content against Hulu and Netflix-GIGAZINE

By Tiger Pixel

At special events, it is expected that the video distribution service will be officially announced. With the prospect of being available to Apple users free of charge for both iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs, it is expected that Apple users will want to use more services than any other distribution service.

Original programs planned by Apple can be viewed for free by Apple products users such as iPhone and Apple TV-GIGAZINE

On the other hand, content is a problem. Apparently Apple did not find it easy to bring in enough original content in line with service provision, and provided content to cable television companies HBO, Showtime and Starz, which have sent out a lot of content. It has been negotiated. Although no formal announcement has been made, the contract with at least one company is expected to be finalized on March 15, 2019 (Fri).

There are also content providers such as Netflix and Hulu as content holders, but we already know that they do not work with Apple. According to The Verge, Hulu is trying to maintain a good relationship with Apple, and the content is available on Apple TV.

On the other hand, Netflix was making a high profit by distributing apps on the App Store, but is looking for a way to bypass because Apple's fees are high. First, the new member registration from iOS ended in December 2018. With Amazon's Prime Video, the battle with Apple's video delivery service is likely to begin.

Netflix hates App Store high fees and seeks to bypass monthly fee collection-GIGAZINE