Put down the remote: Apple’s live TV streaming service isn’t coming until 2016

By Kris Wouk August 14, 2015

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Since the lead-up to this year’s WWDC, it has seemed that Apple’s upcoming live TV streaming service is practically around the corner. After all, Dish has done it with Sling TV and Sony has done it with PlayStation Vue, so how hard can it be? Pretty hard, it turns out, at least with the deals Apple is trying to make with TV networks.

After a no-show at WWDC, many assumed that the as-yet-unnamed TV streaming service would make an appearance in September, a month in which Apple has unveiled many a product. While Apple is indeed expected to debut a new Apple TV next month, it seems that we’ll need to wait until next year for a live TV service to go along with it.

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Sources familiar with Apple’s plans have said that talks between the company and TV networks such as CBS and Fox are progressing more slowly than Apple had hoped, Bloomberg reports. Apple had planned to announce the service in San Francisco on Sept. 9 to coincide with the start of the fall season, but now the service has been pushed to 2016.

As it did with iTunes and the now-ubiquitous $0.99 song, Apple is reportedly pushing TV networks to accept lower prices in order to keep its service competitively priced. Apple is looking to charge $40 per month for its service, around half the price of the average cable bill in the U.S., which doesn’t leave much of a cut for the TV networks.

Apple’s competition has made concessions in order to get their own respective services off the ground. Sling TV starts at $20 per month, but only offers a slim selection of channels. Sony’s PlayStation Vue offers more channels at a higher price, but is currently only available in a handful of cities nationwide.

While the live TV aspect will have to wait, Apple is still expected to launch a next generation of its Apple TV next month, alongside the iPhone 6s. The new model of the set-top box will reportedly include a touchpad on the remote and will launch with its own App Store.

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