What is notable is that instead of Apple TV Channels existing solely on an Apple product, the service will be available through devices from Roku and Amazon, and even on smart TVs from companies that could be considered Apple's biggest competitors, including Samsung and Sony.
"Apple is evolving into a services company," said Joel Espelien, president of the Corum Group.
"They will increasingly offer services that run outside of Apple devices -- but always work best on Apple devices," he told the E-Commerce Times.
"The TV announcement was a baby step, but still a step towards offering real bundles to consumers," added Espelien. "They clearly want to offer full subscription services -- as with music also. They just don't have a mix that works yet for TV, so are going with a safer 'channels' marketplace type approach to start."