Despite reports to the contrary, NBC parent company Comcast says they haven’t even discussed being part of Apple’s much-rumored streaming TV service.
In a letter to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission regarding its interest in acquiring Time Warner Cable, Comcast said it has not been approached by Apple to discuss bringing NBCUniversal content to the supposed over-the-top service, reports Re/code.
“Not only has NBCUniversal not ‘withheld’ programming from Apple’s new venture, Apple has not even approached NBCUniversal with such a request,” Comcast attorney Francis Buono wrote in a letter to the Commission. The letter was in response to a court filing by Stop Mega Comcast, a group opposed to the merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable.
A note from the opposition group on Wednesday claimed, “Comcast may be withholding affiliated NBCUniversal (‘NBCU’) content in an effort to thwart the entry of potential new video competitors.”
A recent Wall Street Journal report had indicated Apple and Comcast were not in discussions due to a “falling-out” between Apple and Comcast.
Apple is reportedly in talks with content providers, including CBS, FOX, and Disney (ABC) to launch a subscription-based streaming television service by fall. The service would reportedly have around 25 channels, and would cost between $30 and $40 per month.
Apple is also rumored to be working on a new model of their Apple TV set-top streaming box, said to boast a variant of the company’s latest A8 system on a chip, increased internal storage, (the current box has an anemic 8GB of storage), and an improved operating system, with Siri voice control. The new box will also support HomeKit home automation devices.
