From the Vault: Apple should buy Comcast

In 2014, New York Times article suggested that Apple should buy Comcast. Comcast/Xfinity could certainly use the Apple touch, but that won’t happen. The idea made sense at the time, however, with the nascent rumors that Apple would eventually launch its own streaming service (which, of course, it did in with Apple TV+ in 2019).

Why should Apple buy Comcast? Writing for the NYT, Nick Bilton said that Stream interruptions, inadequate picture fidelity and other poor streaming experience issues prompt nearly three-quarters of all OTT [over-the-top] video viewers to give up in the first four minutes of playback, according to a report from Conviva. 

Bilton said that in 2014 that if Apple launches a streaming video service, it needs to make sure the experience is seamless. The company can certainly make the best interface around; owning Comcast (or another cable company) would allow it to control the back end and “innards” of such a service, he said.

The New York Times article said that, if Apple bought Comcast, they could own the largest cable TV provider, a broadband provider, a TV network and a movie studio.” Apple could certainly afford to make the purchase. Comcast’s 2014 market capitalization was approximately US$143 billion, while Apple’s was approximately $750 billion at the time. 

Of course, Apple didn’t buy Comcast/Xfinity and almost certainly won’t. The latest  potential Apple acquisitions pundits like to ponder is the tech giant buying Netflix.