Apple (AAPL) is currently speaking with major cable companies in the United States about allowing their subscribers to use the Apple TV as a set-top box, a recent report claims. Citing multiple unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday evening reported that Apple is negotiating with a number of the nation’s largest cable TV providers regarding using Apple TV in place of provider-supplied hardware. “The talks represent Apple’s most ambitious crack at infiltrating the living room after years of trying,” the Journal’s Jessica Vascellaro and Shalini Ramachandran wrote, noting that Time Warner Cable (TWC) is among the companies being courted by Apple.
Reports that Apple was in talks with TV service providers first surfaced six months ago when the New York Post reported that the company was speaking with content providers about the possibility of a unique new content delivery model. Bloomberg then reported in March that Apple was talking to AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) about a possible TV service.
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