Apple is all set to unveil its TV streaming platform later this month at its Show Time event. A Bloomberg report highlights that while Apple has been working on quite a few original shows for its streaming platform, none of them will be available at release.

Instead, most of the shows will only be ready for a fall release. This has forced Apple in a race against time to finalize deals with HBO, AT&T, Showtime, and others. There’s even a Friday deadline inside Apple and it is offering concessions to media companies for signing deals by then.

The company is racing to secure movies and TV shows to offer alongside its own original videos and is offering concessions to get deals done by a Friday deadline, according to people familiar with the matter.

While not mentioned in the report, Apple is expected to finalize deals with at least a couple of media houses. Popular cable TV networks like HBO, Showtime, and Starz are expected to be launch partners of the streaming platform. Some of them are currently in the process of finalizing the deal and are debating over the marketing, promotion, and user experience. What’s clear is that Netflix and Hulu will now be a part of Apple’s streaming service platform.

These companies already offer their own streaming service but given Apple’s pull, they are optimistic of gaining more subscribers and their overall revenue getting a nice boost.

The report also states that with the release of iOS 12.2, Apple will be announcing its partnership with Goldman Sachs and offer a credit card that will integrate deeply with the Wallet app.

The iOS 12.2 software update also sets the stage for an iPhone-connected credit card partnership with Goldman Sachs by tweaking the look of Apple Pay in the Wallet app. The credit-card project is code named “Project Cookie” inside the investment bank, according to a person familiar with the work.

The project is being led by David Stark who became a Goldman Sachs partner last year.

While unclear, the report speculates that Apple could end up offering its News service and TV streaming service as a part of a bundle with a slight discount. This should further tempt users who are interested in subscribing to both platforms.

Our Take

While Apple will be unveiling its TV streaming service later this month, it is not expected to go live before later this year. Until then, Apple will have more time to work on the platform and get more content partners onboard. It would also provide the company with adequate time to finish a few of its original content that it has been working on for so long.

[Via Bloomberg]

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