Apple’s live streaming television service has been delayed again, with a report Thursday that the tech giant has been unable to come to an agreement with the large television networks.

Bloomberg Business quotes sources saying that the long-mooted service, Apple’s alleged attempt to “disrupt” the cable television industry, has been pushed out until at least 2016 as talks to license programming from TV networks such as those owned by CBS Corp. and 21st Century Fox, Inc. are “progressing slowly.”

Licensing is apparently not the only issue facing Apple, with the same report suggesting that even if the company miraculously came to terms with content providers tomorrow it may not be able to provide the service anyway, as Apple is alleged to not have the computer network capacity in place to ensure a good viewing experience for viewers.

The new service was originally meant to launch alongside a new Apple TV streaming service to be announced September 9.

One of the sticking points, not surprisingly, is said to be price, with Apple said to be wanting to deliver a content package for around $40 per month, at least half of what many people pay for cable packages currently

Content rights holders don’t want to accept less money for rights, but more, and have over the last two years pressured cable companies to pay more for access; Apple for some reason thinks it can push the cost of obtaining rights down, hence the reason it has been unable to sign up any suppliers to to-date.

Redundant before it starts

Many gush over the potential an Apple live streaming television product would have if and when delivered, with one analyst telling Bloomberg “streaming TV would provide another future growth avenue into the next generation consumer…It represents the next frontier for Cook & Co,” and even the opening paragraph of the report refers to Apple revolutionizing television in the same way it has for music, complete with a link to Apple Music.

Apple fanboys don’t need drugs, they just need their circlejerks of positive affirmation to believe this rubbish.

While there’s no question that the existing system of cable television is ripe for disruption, the thing is: the system already is by online on-demand streaming services such as those provided by Netflix, Inc. and Amazon.com, Inc.

Replacing live cable television with an online streaming version of cable television isn’t revolutionary, it’s just a variation on the theme.

While there are some who will always prefer to be able to flick channels and randomly discover things to watch (be it with cable it’s 99 percent rubbish), the future, outside of say sports broadcasting, isn’t live television, but you don’t have to believe one humble writer’s opinion, consumers and the equity markets believe so as well, with the trend among the former to embrace “cord-cutting” (cancellation of cable television services) rapidly increasing, and the latter selling stocks in traditional media companies as it becomes clear they are losing market share and audience to online, more importantly, on-demand services.

While the success, failure or otherwise of Apple Music is still unknown until the end of the free trial periods comes up in September and October this year, a forward-looking, smart Apple would have been considering something along the lines of an Apple Music like service for television content, not a live streaming service; could Apple have made it stick against Netflix? quite possibly not, but that’s the direction of the market in 2015, not live television.

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