蘋果計劃爲設備提供互聯網電視服務

Apple has held talks with a number of leading television groups to offer an Internet-based TV service for its iPhone, iPad and Apple TV set-top box, according to people briefed on the company’s plans.

瞭解蘋果(Apple)公司計劃的人表示，公司與一些重要的電視集團進行了談話，打算爲其iPhone、iPad和Apple TV機頂盒提供基於互聯網的電視服務。

The service, which could be announced later this year, would offer a bundle of channels that is smaller and cheaper than the bloated catalog of offerings in a typical cable subscription, said these people, who discussed the incomplete plans on the condition of anonymity.

這些人要求在文中匿名，在談及這些尚未完成的計劃時，他們稱該服務可能會在今年晚些時候宣佈，它將提供一個比傳統有線電視訂閱的繁雜目錄更簡潔、更廉價的頻道套餐。

The plan would potentially offer networks owned by the television groups Disney, Fox, CBS and Discovery, the people said Tuesday. That could include the broadcast networks ABC, CBS and Fox, along with a lineup of other cable networks, such as ESPN and Discovery Channel.

他們在週二表示，該計劃可能會提供迪士尼(Disney)、福克斯(Fox)、CBS和探索電視集團(Discovery)所有的電視網。其中可能包括廣播電視網ABC、CBS和福克斯，以及ESPN和探索頻道(Discovery Channel)等其他一系列電視網。

The total number of networks to be offered is yet to be determined. Apple is not including all of the networks owned by each of the TV groups, signaling yet another fraying of the traditional cable bundle. No deal has been reached yet, the people said.

公司最終提供的電視網數目目前還有待確定。蘋果不會把每家電視集團擁有的所有網絡都納入其中，表明傳統有線電視捆綁計劃將面臨又一次的剝離。前述知情人士稱，目前尚未達成任何協議。

Pricing details remain unclear. One person pegged the rate for a Monthly subscription at $20 to $25, while another said that it would be in the $30 range. The final price point will probably depend on which networks are offered and negotiations with television groups, the people said.

具體定價仍不清楚。一人認爲，每月的訂閱費大概在20到25美元，另一人則表示，價格可能會達到30多美元。知情人士表示，最終的價格點可能還要取決於公司會提供哪些電視網，以及他們與電視集團的協商情況。

News of Apple’s plans for a web-TV service follows an announcement last week that it had formed an exclusive partnership with HBO to offer the premium cable network’s new digital TV service, called HBO Now.

上週，在蘋果計劃提供網絡電視服務的消息傳來前，蘋果剛宣佈已與HBO達成獨家合作夥伴關係，屆時將提供這家付費有線電視網新推出的數碼電視服務“HBO Now”。

A flood of media, telecom and tech companies are introducing digital TV services this year, trying to appeal to a generation of viewers willing to pay for Internet access but not traditional TV cable subscriptions.

面對更願意爲互聯網而非傳統電視網絡訂閱服務付費的新一代觀衆，衆多媒體、通訊和科技公司都紛紛在今年開始引入數碼電視服務。

Dish Network, the satellite provider, recently started a web-based service called Sling TV that includes ESPN and other popular cable networks for $20 a month. On Tuesday, the company announced a series of updates, including availability of the service on the Xbox One console and the addition of A&E Network channels by the end of March. Sling TV also offers extra packages, priced at $5 a month, for a mini-bundle of lifestyle or news networks, for instance.

衛星電視供應商迪什網絡公司(Dish Network)，最近開始提供基於網絡的電視服務Sling TV，用戶可以每月花20美元觀看ESPN和其他熱門有線電視網絡的節目。週二，該公司宣佈了一系列的更新，比如Xbox One遊戲機可以使用這項服務，以及會在3月底前添加A&E電視網頻道。Sling TV還會提供每月收費5美元的附加服務包，例如關於時尚生活或新聞電視網的迷你捆綁套餐。

CBS and Sony also are starting Internet-only subscription plans.

CBS和索尼也啓動了僅供網絡訂閱的服務計劃。

Apple will heavily market its new streaming service, which the company has pitched to networks as “better than the best-of-class cable products,” one person said. Potential features would include on-demand functionality and the ability to stream live and on-demand television to an array of devices, another person said.

有一個人稱，蘋果將大力推銷新的流媒體服務，該公司標榜這一服務“比最好的有線電視產品還要好”。另一個人表示，該服務可能包括以下功能——點播功能，以及向各種設備傳送直播和點播電視節目的功能

The Wall Street Journal reported news of the Apple TV service on Monday, after an initial report in Recode last month.

繼Recode在上個月最先曝出有關Apple 互聯網電視服務的新聞後，《華爾街日報》(Wall Street Journal)在本週一做出了相關報道。

Apple declined to comment on the potential new service.

蘋果公司拒絕就這項可能推出的新服務置評。

One major entertainment company not involved in the latest round of discussions is Comcast and its NBCUniversal entertainment group, the people said. If Apple and Comcast do not come to terms on a deal, the new service will not include the broadcaster NBC or the cable networks it owns, such as Bravo and Syfy.

上述知情人士表示，大型娛樂公司康卡斯特(Comcast)及旗下的NBC環球公司(NBCUniversal)沒有參加最新一輪協商。如果蘋果和康卡斯特無法就交易達成一致，新服務不會涉及美國全國廣播公司(NBC)或它所擁有的有線電視網，比如精彩電視臺(Bravo)和科幻頻道(Syfy)。

Comcast could be forced to come to a deal with Apple because of the conditions that it agreed to with regulators when it acquired NBCUniversal in 2011. Under those agreements, an online video provider like Apple could demand that NBCUniversal make its programming available if Apple has signed deals with other television groups.

康卡斯特可能會被迫與蘋果公司達成協議，因爲它在2011年收購NBC環球公司時接受了監管機構提出的條件。這些協議規定，蘋果等網絡視頻供應商可以要求NBC環球公司提供節目，前提是蘋果與其他電視集團簽訂了協議。

Apple has been rumored to be planning an online TV service for more than five years. But the company’s approach so far has been to work with distributors like Time Warner Cable and Walt Disney Company on offering apps with access to their content for the Apple TV set-top box.

五年多來，一直有關於蘋果計劃提供網絡電視服務的傳言。但公司到目前爲止只是與時代華納有線電視公司(Time Warner Cable)、沃爾特·迪士尼公司(Walt Disney Company)等經銷商開展合作，提供應用程序，讓顧客可以通過Apple TV機頂盒觀看它們的節目。

Offering a slimmer bundle of television channels over an Internet connection would help Apple distinguish its service from a traditional cable subscription. However, it would not be nearly as disruptive as the deals that Apple cut with record labels for the iTunes Store, when it negotiated to sell songs one track at a time, as opposed to forcing consumers to buy complete albums.

基於互聯網的電視臺組成的一種精簡的捆綁套餐，將會讓蘋果的服務顯得與傳統有線電視訂閱有所不同。然而，這不會像蘋果就iTunes Store與唱片公司達成的協議一樣具有破壞性，當時蘋果進行談判時希望可以一次只賣一首歌，與迫使顧客購買整張專輯的做法完全不同。