Amazon might release an online television service before Apple does

Rumors about Apple’s online television service have been popping up for months, and was initially expected to launch sometime this fall, but apparently discussions with content providers aren’t moving as quickly as Apple would like, and so it’s been forced to delay the launch of the new service, which the company has yet to even officially announce. Amazon might beat them to the punch, however, as the company is apparently working on its own such service, although it’s still only in the early stages of negotiations with content providers. 

Amazon is considering creating its own online TV service, according to Bloomberg. The company is said to have reached out to CBS and NBC Universal about including their channels. The talks are in preliminary stages, according to the report. Dan Rayburn, a principal analyst for Frost & Sullivan, first reported on Tuesday that Amazon had been talking to content owners about licensing content for a live streaming service. Amazon already has its own on-demand video service, Amazon Prime Instant Video, which offers TV shows and movies for streaming. What Bloomberg’s report is describing, however, sounds more like a TV service that could allow Amazon to compete with TV providers such as Comcast. The news comes as reports have suggested that Apple has been in talks to create its own TV service as well. Apple was initially expected to launch its service this fall, but now the launch is said to have been delayed until next year as talks with content providers are moving slowly, according to Bloomberg.