Apple has reportedly come up with a plan to offer a premium TV service with the option to skip advertisements.
The company has been looking to launch a true Apple TV device and accompanying service - not just a box that streams internet content to your TV - for some time now, and it appears to be edging closer to a final format.
According to former WSJ reporter Jessica Lessin, part of Apple's plans will involve a premium TV-viewing experience that enables you to cut out - or at least skip - advertisements altogether.
Apple has been talking to television networks for more than a year, and the latest proposal from Apple concerned the aforementioned premium service, and the level of compensation that those networks would require.
Of course, this wouldn't exactly be a new feature. Users have been skipping adverts on their DVRs for some time now. But you have to expect that Apple is looking at a way to make the process easier and more seamless.
Such a move to deliberately cut out advertising from a major media player could really shake up the TV industry, which leans on advertising for funding, which in turn fuels the ratings system that determines the sort of content produced.
A patent granted to Apple last year appears to strengthen this idea that Apple is looking to remove ads from its no doubt tightly controlled TV environment. The patent describes the ability to replace adverts with an alternative video stream during a live broadcast.
Next, read our hands-on impressions of the TV-focused Xbox One.
Via: SlashGear
