Apple is reportedly working on a plan to launch its own TV service.
A Wall Street Journal report suggests Apple, which already lets users watch television and Netflix shows through its Apple TV device, is working with programmers "to offer a slimmed-down bundle of TV networks this fall."
The Journal cites sources familiar with the talks who say Apple's subscription service may provide "about 25 channels, anchored by broadcasters such as ABC, CBS, and Fox, and would be available on Apple devices such as the Apple TV."
The as-yet-unannounced service would cost $30 to $40 per month, according to The Journal.
Various rumors and speculation suggesting Apple intends to disrupt television have been circulating for a while, but the tech company's plans have so far been vague and somewhat noncommittal.
There has been talk in recent years that Apple might develop its own television hardware, and when that simmered down, the conversation returned to the possibility that Apple might offer precisely the type of streaming service that is apparently being negotiated now.
What is clear, however, is that Apple wants to cater to customers who are giving up on expensive traditional cable subscriptions. That industry has been ripe for disruption for some time, especially as other platforms like Netflix and Amazon build ever-stronger programming that is finally nipping at the heels of legacy media.
The Journal notes that NBCUniversal is not included in the talks at the moment "because of a falling-out between Apple and NBCUniversal parent company Comcast."
