Commentary

Apple's Really Big TV View: How Grand? How Much Indigestion For Rest Of Biz?

by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, May 30, 2013

Looking for that TV grand vision? Apple is -- but are consumers? Maybe they just want a cheap $8 a month over-the-top TV service.

In large part, TV hasn't changed from the way it was 10, 20 or even 30 years ago. Meanwhile Apple changed much of the non-TV entertainment world, with its iPod, iPhone, iPad, and iTunes retailing effort.

But for music and movies, consumers can buy content on a piecemeal basis. Not so for TV, when its ecosystem is built around big networks and programming services.

So Apple’s CEO Tim Cook is looking for a "grand" vision that changes the TV set experience, much as the company did for those small personal devices. It better be mighty grand. Seems Apple is in no rush to figure all this out -- which a good thing.

The chief problem remains content. Media companies may not have had a problem selling an individual episode (or a season’s worth) of a TV series on a non-advertising basis which could be accessed by users on second screens -- especially when those revenues were ancillary to their main business. But toying with large media companies’ first screens -- the big TV viewing unit sitting in most people's living rooms? You can hear those TV executives quickly interrupting: "Hey, wait a second!"

Would Apple be selling a new TV-like product -- or a new TV distribution system? We don't know yet. Maybe a little of both. Surely, companies like Comcast, DirecTV, Dish, Amazon, Netflix, and even Sony Electronics would be taking note.

Taking on the ubiquitous and dominant TV experience of the TV set, Apple has its hands full.

3 comments about "Apple's Really Big TV View: How Grand? How Much Indigestion For Rest Of Biz? ".

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Peter Benjamin from MyOffices, May 30, 2013 at 11:30 a.m.
I recently submitted a Tv App and for over a year APPLE has rejected my app over and over for really B.S Reasons. Every time I hear about their platform I can't help but think they are stalling me. Download the TVontheGo App on the Google store. Its when they try to stop your advancement without reason you have to ask why. They are deliberately stopping the app and its about to be exposed. Our system does what they intend to do. Show the use TV on the Go. tvonthego.com
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Douglas Ferguson from College of Charleston, May 30, 2013 at 12:45 p.m.

Such a bold claim, "In large part, TV hasn't changed from the way it was 10, 20 or even 30 years ago." Yeah, much the same, except for number of special channels, number of delayed-viewing options, number of receiving devices, number of commercial-avoidance strategies, number of places to watch, number of screen-based distractions for viewers, number of reality shows, number of family-unfriendly shows, number of competing politically-slanted networks, and the number of successful small producers. Maybe prime time hasn't changed enough to suit everyone, but to me TV seems really different from 25 years ago when I left the broadcast business.

Doug Garnett from Protonik, LLC, May 30, 2013 at 3:44 p.m.

I agree, Doug. Perhaps, though, what hasn't changed with TV is that what the mass of people love about it is the circus - a cacophony of options and an ever changing landscape anchored by very important specific shows that we love. My sense of the companies who want to re imagine TV is that they also refuse to embrace and understand the circus. Until that happens, each will offer us a nice addition to our TV worlds, but not the dramatic change they hope. Here is my skepticism about Apple specifically. http://dsgarnett.wordpress.com/2012/06/08/future-tv-skepticism-why-i-dont-think-apple-will-conquer-tv/