Apple Mulls Internet TV Service With Bundled Programming

One category that's been elusive to Apple is the TV business. Sure, the company has its foot in the door with its Apple TV set-top box, but what Apple really wants to do is offer a paid programming service through the web. It's long been a goal for Apple, and it appears that it may finally become a reality, provided it can seal the deal.

According to Re/code and the industry executives it spoke with, Apple is currently in discussions with TV programmers to try and hammer out deals that would allow it to offer an "over-the-top" pay TV service, which is a fancy way of describing TV served through the Internet.

What Apple wants to do is piece together programming bundles and sell directly to the consumer, on the web. It wouldn't be an entire lineup of channels and content like cable and satellite providers offer, but enough to be intriguing.

Nothing is imminent at this point, and it's said that these talks are still in the very early stages. Nevertheless, Apple has already put together demos of the service it would like to run, though there are still several programmers who have yet to see it or even talk to Apple. Therein lies the biggest hurdle, especially when the discussions inevitably turn to dollars and cents.

The TV category is a tough one to break into. Google tried with its Google TV platform, and so have Intel and Sony. But while tech companies are eager to embrace the web, media companies and TV programmers haven't been on the same page in terms of pricing and content. We'll see if Apple can change their minds.