Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is reportedly negotiating with Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) to carry the company's HBO Go application on Apple TV by mid-year, according to a Bloomberg report citing two people familiar with the plans. If a deal is inked, it will mean HBO's cable and satellite customers will be able to watch more than 600 hours of TV shows and films on Apple TV, which streams content purchased on iTunes and other online services to TV sets.
If Apple TV were to get the HBO Go app, it would add another premiere content provider to its arsenal that now includes Netflix (NYSE: VZ) and Hulu Plus. Apple TV has faced increasing competition from Roku and Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT).
HBO, meanwhile, has said it wants to extend HBO Go to other platforms. In a statement to AllThingsD, HBO said: "We've said we would like HBO GO accessible on all preferred platforms so we are always having discussions with a variety of companies."
HBO Go is currently available only to customers who subscribe to HBO via their cable or satellite service, and it would be the first app on Apple TV that requires pay-TV authentication. The HBO Go app is available for the iPad and the iPhone.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has said the company is intensely interested in the television space. However, he has declined to provide more details about what exactly Apple has in mind.
For more:
- see this Bloomberg report
- see this AllThingsD report
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