Apple (AAPL) iTunes To Channel HBO

Apple (AAPL) appears to have picked up a deal to deliver HBO programming though iTunes according to Portfolio.

The new partnership will involve HBO, a unit of Time Warner (TWX) getting a better deal than other video content providers. The business magazine writes that "One possibility is that HBO programming will have a higher retail price than the flat $1.99 fee Apple currently charges for video content; another is that HBO will receive a larger cut of the same flat rate than other iTunes content providers receive."

Whether the new deal will sour relationships with other premium video content providers remains to be seen. There has been an ongoing fight between content providers and Apple, with content companies believing they should do better financially due to the money which Apple makes on it the iPod and iPhone,

Those battles are not likely to end.

Douglas A. McIntyre