Why buy from someone else when you have the resources and vision to build it from scratch. For those like me thinking that Apple might just buy Hulu or Netflix and merge it with it's own iTunes Store, comes word that the opposite may be true. "Apple might be ready to roll out its own video subscription service similar to Amazon and Netflix, Peter Misek at Jefferies reports in a note this morning. Specifically, he says, 'As part of Apple's roll-out of cloud video services (and eventually an iTV), we believe Apple has unannounced deals with all/most of the studios/TV networks that are similar to the subscription streaming deal between Amazon and CBS.'"
Frankly, not too hard to believe. Apple has always been a tough negotiator. Heck their 30/70 subscription deal with newspapers and magazines for the iPad indicates that ability. Rather than accept the current deals tucked inside an acquisition, why not negotiate independently and build the best possible subscription model. Hopefully, with such a deal, Apple will enable a video content platform as large, if not larger than Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix. If the content deals are thin, this may not be the most desired outcome.
When could such an announcement be made, most suspect not till later next month. Apple has never been shy about doing things on their own timeline. Coupled with the re-release of Apple TV and its iCloud platform, this could potentially be a very big news story.
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