Apple is in talks with British Telecom over a partnership designed to “boost the push of both companies into pay-TV,” according to The Daily Telegraph.
The article says the two companies are in early discussions over a deal that would make British Telecom’s mobile brand EE a major distributor of Apple TV set-top boxes. In other words, the Apple TV could be used as a set-top box in lieu of BT’s own box.
British Telecom (BT) is a British multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It has operations in around 180 countries and is the largest provider of fixed-line, broadband and mobile services in the UK, and also provides subscription television and IT services.[
If Apple and BT strike a deal, the latter would offer the Apple TV to EE broadband customers pre-loaded with apps to deliver BT Sport and channels from other broadcasters. Apple already has a similar deal in Switzerland with the telecoms operator and pay-TV provider Salt. Salt launched its IPTV platform in March for fibre-optic households in Switzerland. It was the first time in Europe that the Apple TV box could be used by a platform operator as the standard set-top-box.
