Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) may or may not cut a deal with Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA), but it seems apparent that the gadget maker is serious about making some waves in the cable TV space.
According to a Business Insider story, Apple has been bulking up its employee base with cable-TV veterans whose responsibilities range "from getting a better connection between Apple and cable customers to getting the rights to show the content that would make people opt for an Apple TV-based set-top box."
For instance, Pete Distad was brought aboard as vice president of product marketing. Formerly senior vice president of marketing and distribution at Hulu, Distad's background is heavy on negotiating content deals.
The phone and tablet maker, whose TV aims have always seemed slightly off, also hired Lauren 'Ren' Provo from Comcast and Jean-Francoise Mule from CableLabs. Provo's expertise, which she also honed during a stint with AT&T (NYSE: T), is interconnect relations; Mule, through CableLabs, understands the inner working of cable TV service provider technology.
The whole thing could be tied back to the deal Apple is reportedly working with Comcast. Or it could involve something similar as Apple moves into the cable TV space.
For more:
- Business Insider has this story
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