WSJ Says Apple Will Offer 25 Channels; The Loop Says, ‘(Probably) Nope’

Hot on the heels of news about HBONow, The Wall Street Journal is reporting other content providers are jumping on board.

The Journal reports that Apple will be offering a bundle of about 25 channels, including major networks “such as ABC, CBS and Fox”. The service will be available through the company’s iOS devices, including Apple TV. NBC, USA and Bravo, owned by NBCUniversal, are not expected to be part of this package, because of rumored tensions between Apple and NBCUniversal’s owner and cable TV provider Comcast.

However, Apple site The Loop (known for webmaster Jim Dalrymple’s laconic and accurate “yep” and “nope” responses to rumors about the company and its products) questions the past accuracy of Daisuke Wakabayashi, one of the authors of the piece. Wakabayashi and The Wall Street Journal have been called on by writers who follow Apple in the past for reporting analyst speculation as fact.

Apple offering bundled TV service would be curious. The Apple TV, which would be the logical flagship device to lead the company’s charge onto HDTVs in the living room, hasn’t been updated in close to three years and its price dropped from $99 to $69 during last week’s Apple Watch/MacBook announcement. Apple TV also faces increasing competition from Amazon’s Fire TV and Fire TV Stick as well as Roku’s lineup of IPTV boxes.

The Loop, via The Wall Street Journal. Photo by bfishadow/flickr.