by Dan Moren
Apple TV service continues slouching towards Bethlehem
Bloomberg quotes CBS CEO Les Moonves on the chances of a deal between his network and Apple:
“Apple is having conversations with everyone about doing their own streaming services,” Moonves said in an interview Wednesday on Bloomberg TV. “We have had those conversations, as have the other networks. Do I think something will happen? Probably, but I do not know when.”
Translation: We’re working hard to squeeze every penny out of this deal.
Keep in mind that CBS is the only broadcast network whose current shows are not on Hulu. It’s been rolling out its own service, CBS All Access, which also supports live TV in addition to current season and previous season shows for about $6 per month, though like Hulu, you still have to watch ads.1
So CBS is obviously trying to get a deal at least as profitable as its own pay model in its negotiations with Apple. And while I don’t know if it’s the last holdout, my guess would be that Moonves and crew are probably pretty close to it.
- Excepting Hulu’s new commercial-free offering. ↩