News
Apple May Offer EPIX HD On New HDTV
By Swanni
Washington, D.C.
(April 30, 2012)
-- Apple is negotiating with EPIX HD to stream its movies on new
Net-connected devices, including a new Apple-branded HDTV,
reports Reuters.
EPIX HD, a premium movie channel backed by three studios, has
had difficulty landing spots in some cable and satellite lineups
since its launch in 2009. Comcast, Time Warner, Cablevision and
DIRECTV have all signaled they are not interested in carrying
the channel.
Consequently, there has been speculation that EPIX will seek to
expand its audience by partnering with makers of Net-connected
TV devices. For instance, EPIX is now available on the Roku
set-top box, but only cable and satellite customers who
subscribe to EPIX can now access it.
For Apple, landing EPIX HD could boost the company's efforts to
land content streaming deals for its new HDTV, which is expected
to be launched late this year or early next. Apple reportedly
wants its new TV to offer a variety of programming services a la
carte, which would enable people to watch and pay only for the
channels they want.
Reuters reports that the Apple/EPIX talks are in the preliminary
stages and no deal is imminent.
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