“If Apple launches a TV service, it won’t be the first company to offer TV subscriptions over the Web,” Peter Kafka and Dawn Chmielewski report for Re/code. “But it wants to offer at least one thing rivals don’t have: Widespread access to live programming from local TV stations.”
“Apple’s ambitions have complicated its negotiations with the broadcast TV networks, because most broadcasters don’t own all their local stations, and have an affiliate, or franchise system,” Kafka and Chmielewski report. “Clearing the rights to show local programs and commercials takes some time… That means that Apple may not be ready to launch a Web TV service in early fall, as it has told programmers it would like to do.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: There is precious little, if anything, that local TV offers us besides comedy fodder: Bad sets, bad talent, bad camerawork, bad writing, bad editing, etc. And, with the lack of money in local TV (since the local TV station is largely superfluous), it only gets worse, or funnier, depending on your perspective. (And, note: This is coming from those of us who spent over 15 years at multiple local TV stations and network affiliates across the U.S.)
What exactly does local TV offer that we can’t get on our wrists in a glance? Nothing much useful. Local news is the unique product – the rest of local TV programming are network feeds, syndicated shows, and informercials – all of which are already available elsewhere. Weather is local TV news’ top draw. But – hello? – it’s 2015: We have access to the weather at any time in a split second. Live or semi-live (tape-delayed) hyperlocal sports? Okay, but is Apple seriously going to delay their new service because they can’t offer Outer Podunk the ability to watch the local JUCO lose another basketball game?
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Bill” for the heads up.]