Apple Plans $30 Cable TV to Smash Rivals

Apple is in talks to offer a collection of about 25 television networks to owners of Apple TVs, iPhones, and iPads this fall, sources close to the deal told The Wall Street Journal. Apple is working with CBS, Fox, and Walt Disney Co., the owner of ABC, to create a “skinny” bundle that includes ESPN and FX, according to the report. Apple is planning to formally announce the online television service in June and launch in September, with prices between $30 and $40 a month, according to some media executives. Notably absent from the deals is NBC because of Apple’s failed talks with NBCUniversal’s parent company, Comcast Corp., over working together on a streaming television platform.