Those channels are already popping up on Roku (Wealth TV is one example). I think Apple TV can do it too, I just don't think they can play the "we're Apple" car

Those channels are already popping up on Roku (Wealth TV is one example). I think Apple TV can do it too, I just don't think they can play the "we're Apple" card and have everyone pay them that way when there are competing platforms with just as large user bases (X-Box and Playstation for example) offering a better deal. I'm sure Apple wants in to the market, but only if it's wildly profitable. So far it doesn't look like being a box provider is going to be wildly profitable. The prices have been driven down to $100 - $200 tops so you're not making money on the hardware and there are too many competitors who want content to really make money through subscriptions.