CBS CEO Leslie Moonves mentioned in an interview recently that Steve Jobs had approached him about syndicating television content on Apple TV. Jobs pitched the partnership as a subscription service, but there aren't many details beyond that. Moonves shot down Jobs, citing concerns about disrupting the traditional CBS revenue stream. Specifically, Moonves said "You know more than me about 99 percent of things but I know more about the television business." As you might expect, Jobs vehemently disagreed with Moonves about the revenue situation. In the interview, Moonves reiterated that they full support digital distribution of content, having played a huge role in Hulu's earlier days, and being a Netflix partner.

While this headline might be getting Moonves some attention, he's hardly the only person ever to have said "no" to Steve Jobs. Verizon did as well, landing the iPhone exclusively on AT&T for 3 years. Given Jobs' track record, and his ability to see the future of consumer demand, it might not be something Moonves is smart to be shopping around. But hey, if Apple launches their rumored television set, and it takes off anything like the iPhone and iPad has, at least we'll be able to link back to this in a few years and see, right?

Meanwhile Apple TV is seeing a refresh with 1080p video quality, but for most TV, that's overkill. There's already a wealth of CBS content available on Apple TV through Netflix, but If Apple is still interested in this sort of a setup, a subscription-based premium Apple TV service may still be in the cards. In any case, this kind of thing has been rumoured for awhile, so I wouldn't be holding my breath to see a launch any time soon. Would you guys be interested in a $10/month Netflix competitor from Apple? What would they need to do differently to stand out?

Source: Hollywood Reporter

In the latest episode of CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" titled "Beta Test Initiation", Raj Koothrappali starts a relationship with a well-known woman - Siri.

After buying an iPhone 4S, Raj starts building a creepy relationship with Siri - taking her out for coffee, inviting her on double dates, and even dressing her, in "a nice black case".

If you are a fan of the show, you'll know that one of Raj's personality traits is that he has difficulty talking to women, so when Siri makes a human appearance, hilarity ensues.

You can check out the clip of humanised Siri below, but be sure to watch the full episode on CBS.

Speaking on his company’s earnings call, CBS CEO Les Moonves said that CBS had turned down the Apple TV as a platform for its content. The revelation was revealed in response to a question about CBS’s appetite toward striking deals with new streaming providers that may not have the cash to pay up front for its content. Moonves claimed that CBS had turned down Apple and its Apple TV platform because the offer was based on an ad split revenue source.

This seems to confirm rumors that Apple is trying to secure some sort of Apple TV subscription service however it looks like it is going to be much harder than Apple had hoped. Apple has been slowly adding additional media content to the Apple TV platform; the recent iOS 5 update brought Wall Street Journal Live and NHL content. Hulu Plus is also rumored to be ready to go on the Apple TV but political reasons are cited as holding it back from launch.

Source: Gigaom

CBC Hockey from the iconic Hockey Night in Canada series is a free download from the iTunes App Store and comes ready to stream all the live NHL hockey playoff action straight to your iPhone -- via $2.99 in-app purchase.

• LIVE box scores from every NHL game
• Standings by division and conference
• Stats for every team, every player
• League leaders for points, goals,+/-, GAA, Sv%, and Wins
• CBC Sports stories and features from our writers
• Complete NHL schedule including CBC broadcasts and streaming info

And no, I'm not just posting this because of Montreal's stellar playoff victory last night against Pittsburgh (for those who are more geek than hockey freak, that was the team with the big C's on their chests trouncing the guys wearing the Linux Tux jerseys).

[iTunes via Daring Fireball]

In that stream of 700 iPad apps revealed last night, Engadget noticed a few gems including Netflix and ABC, and with CBS doing the HTML5-video thing and Hulu once again being rumored, could content consumption nirvana finally be near?

Netflix is said to be a free app that will be ready by the April 3 iPad launch. You'll be able to browse and manage your queue and stream movies and TV shows right to your iPad. No word on weather its Wi-Fi-only or 3G as well, and no word on whether an iPhone and iPod touch version is coming (ahem!)

ABC's player is also said to be free but Wi-Fi bound. You'll still get your Lost and Grey's Anatomy fix direct from the network, however. Whether it will make into the iPad App Store by launch day is unknown, as is their monetization method (i.e. will there be commercials?)

CBS, according to the Wall Street Journal, is sticking with their web-based strategy of streaming HTML5 video through Mobile Safari and not making a dedicated app. Hey, maybe that at least will give iPhone and iPod touch owners equal access?

Hulu, which carries the last two remaining networks, NBC and FOX is still unclear but the New York Times once again gets our hopes up. It's not all rosy, however, as the network nuts behind the scenes reportedly aren't happy with revenue and want something like subscriptions bolted one. They better get their act together and quickly or their old world thinking will condemn the bright boys and girls at Hulu to last place in the brave new mobile media world...

Spring is in the air and March is a perfect time for all you sports fans out there to get your daily fix with the release of CBS Sports March Madness [iTunes Link - $9.99] and MLB.com At Bat 2010 [iTunes Link - $14.99].

For the full list of features to both of these great sport applications, follow us after the break!

CBS Sports NCAA March Madness is a great buy for anyone who can not get enough of their collage hoops. Not only does it provide you with live streaming video of 63 games over EDGE/3G and Wi-Fi but it also provides all of the following great features.

• Video highlights on demand from every game
• LIVE STREAMING OF THE SELECTION SUNDAY SHOW ON MARCH 14
• Westwood One Radio coverage starting on March 16
• Real time graphical bracket with updates on game match-ups, regions, and scores
• Exclusive CBSSports.com Edge Matchup game previews, including team-by-team analysis and matchup comparisons
• Alerts for favorite teams, as well as upsets, buzzer beaters, overtimes, and more
• Breaking tournament news coverage
• Box scores, recaps, and team stats
• Access to CBSSports.com tournament brackets (requires sign-in with CBSSports.com ID/password)
• Log into your Facebook and Twitter accounts to comment on games and talk trash to your friends

MLB.com At Bat 2010 is more of the same great baseball application from the 2009 season so you can still listen to the audio of every game in the regular season and postseason live, get scores and highlights, get push notifications, live streaming video (blackout restrictions apply), etc... They've even went ahead and added some brand new features for 2010.

• Spring Training statistics and LIVE audio
• LIVE video with MLB.TV beginning mid-March
• Breaking news, schedules and interactive rosters and player stats for every team
• Video library searchable by player and team
• Enhanced LIVE game video (Regular Season)
• Home/Away broadcast feed selection (Regular Season)
• Background audio playback
• Additional enhancements to come during 2010 season, including a suite of 'At The Ballpark' advantages in At Bat 2010, from customized, proprietary content to fan-experience tools and more

If you pick these up, let us know what missing features you'd like to see included (if any) in the comments below!

According to the Wall Street Journal, CBS (and CW) and Disney (ABC, Disney Channel, ABC Family) and considering Apple's (unannounced yet previously rumored) subscription TV service. To throw nebulous fuel on the imaginary fire, the WSJ adds:

The proposed service by the maker of iPhones and iPod music players could, in at least some scenarios, offer access to some TV shows from a selection of major U.S. television networks for a monthly fee, according to people familiar with the discussions. Apple is pushing to complete licensing deals and hopes to introduce the service in 2010, some of those people said. It is unclear whether any networks have signed on yet.

No names, no networks, but is there a story? Maybe. The mere idea of Apple doing for digital television what they did for digital music -- rip it from the hands of old, unresponsive media companies and give it to consumers in an easy, a la carte form -- is compelling enough to account for some of the chatter.

Hey, even in Canada where I have $20 for 20 a la carte channels already from my local cable company, their horrible PVR boxes, lack of channels, and the idea that offering $5 for the first 3 episodes of the original 90210 is "on-demand TV", the idea of Apple offering a real Apple TV makes me giddy.

And Disney always makes sense to mention as an early Apple partner, seeing as how Steve Jobs is their biggest shareholder and a member of their board of directors... But as much as I want to believe it, as much as it may even be true, there's nothing to say it really is yet. Though that doesn't mean a good dose of mythical iTablet wouldn't help:

Apple is revamping iTunes as it finalizes its plans for a tablet device, which is meant to be a multimedia gadget, according to people briefed about the product. The multimedia tablet is expected to be larger than an iPhone but smaller than a laptop computer. People briefed by Apple say the company is aiming to launch it by the end of March.

Alrighty then. You want?

CBS aims to find out the answer to that very question when it puts a new, March Madness-centric iPhone WiFi streaming app up on the App Store. Will free competition from TV, PC, Mac -- and pretty much every other platform out there -- along with no cell access to video (audio only on 3G and EDGE) make the price tag too high? Or will rabid college hoops fans who can't put their iPhone's down swallow the costs and the radio tether?

Apple Insider says:

The video streams themselves won't be relegated to "alternate view" camera angles that have become customary for other sporting events. Instead, CBS said it will deliver full broadcasts and play-by-play in sync with their network television broadcasts, which of course will include commercial breaks.

Yeah, commercials. Oh, and it expires on April 6th. So, what answer do you think CBS will get? Will you be watching on your iPhone?

While Big Media wants you to stay off their lawn (i.e. not stream their content to your TV's), it looks like they're increasingly okay-ish with their streaming it to your PC and... iPhone. Macworld brings word of the latest content streamer to hit the App Store, TV.com (iTunes link):

Most of the content consists of clips, interviews, and promos, but you'll also find full episodes of some TV shows, such as "CSI: Miami" and the aforementioned [MacGyver] mixed in (well, to be honest, there weren't many other shows I could find full episodes of at first glance). Full episodes are presented as multiple clips instead of as a single video. You can search for shows using the Search box at the top, or tap on the Shows and Channels buttons to browse in other ways.

Of course, a few more things need to happen to flesh out this category. Getting other networks on board via apps for Hulu and other services is one. Also, realizing it's the 21st fraken century and NOT restricting streaming apps from international users would be grand. (TV.com is US App Store only).

Anyone tried it yet? If so, how was the quality? Would you use this over your laptop for TV to go? Over your TV for viewing in general?