The new Apple TV streaming service might not be launching as soon as we hoped, but when it does, CBS will probably be part of the package.
CBS CEO Les Moonves made an appearance at Recode’s Code Conference and revealed that he just met with Eddy Cue last week to talk about Apple’s upcoming plans. When asked whether CBS will be apart of the new service, Moongraves said “probably.” However, it’s going to take a lot of money to close the deal.
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“Apple TV is trying to change the universe,” Moonves said, with it’s offerings of skinny bundle TV packages that can be streamed to not only Apple TV, but also iOS devices and Macs. The new Apple TV service will be similar to Sling TV, according to Moonves. Previous rumors have claimed Apple is hoping to differentiate itself though by adding local broadcasting to the lineup.
“I think the age of the 200 channel universe is slowly dying,” Moonves told Recode’s Kara Swisher. He’s been awefully slow to imbrace the death of giant TV bundles though. Apple has supposedly been negotiating streaming rights for the new service since 2012. Broadcast executives have held a hard line with Apple though, realizing the Apple TV needs them, probably more than they need it.
Moonves said his network expects to get a bigger proportion of revenue generated from the ‘skinny bundles’ like Apple TV it signs up for. “The good news for us, is any one of those groups will need CBS.”
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
6 responses to “CBS will ‘probably’ sign Apple TV deal, if the money’s right”
If one network CEO says he’ll go with Apple then it’s likely the other stations will buckle under. Maybe Apple needs to buy a network of its own to start the ball rolling.
Please could we just get rid of the major networks and buy our shows al a carte?
I can’t name you one show on CBS I have any interest in watching, apart from 60 Minutes that is an app I purchased for $5 (one-time) that confers access to all content commercial-free.
They have the rights to Star Trek, though. That’s how they build out a new identity of subscription-worthy content. Start with that and forget the old days of procedurals, reality TV and vanilla sitcoms. There’s no obvious way for that stuff to transition into the new world. Not compelling enough for subscription, not youth-skewing enough for the digital ad-based world.
The TV universe is breaking up into subscription/no-ads (Netflix, Amazon, HBO Now) and ad-based/free (YouTube etc.) The former survives on quality, the latter on its ability to attract under-35s who don’t watch “normal” broadcast or cable, but who the advertisers are desperate to reach.
Anybody who doesn’t fit into one paradigm or another risks being swept away by change. CBS isn’t high quality enough to play the Netflix game and lacks the youth appeal to play the YouTube game. They may be in trouble.
Moonves’ best move now is to do a deal with Netflix for a new Star Trek series. That’s the one and only brand they have TV rights to, that is guaranteed to get attention in the subscription world.
Dont forget sell thru via EST. A la carte is also part of the future and a fast growing segment.