Report: Apple in Talks With TWC, Other MSOs on Cable Set-Top

Tech company does not appear to have landed any deals, according to WSJ

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/16/2012 9:27:00 AM

Apple has approached Time Warner Cable and other large cable operators about creating an Apple-developed set-top that would let subscribers access TV programming, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources.

Apple and Time Warner Cable representatives declined to comment on the report.

Apple, the largest technology company in the world, does not appear to have reached a deal with any MSOs, the Journal said, speculating that operators may be reluctant "to let Apple establish a foothold in the television business."

Whether Apple would sell such a cable-ready box at retail or only distribute it through MSOs is not clear. Apple has raised the possibility of being the "exclusive" provider of IP-based set-top boxes for MSOs, which would supply them to customers, the Journal reported. In the past, operators have balked at Apple's demand for a 30% cut of transactional content revenue, according to the paper.

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