Rumor: Disney working on Star Wars streaming channel for Apple TV

Apple TV (Vevo channel)

Yesterday, Apple gave would-be shoppers another reason to consider its $99 Apple TV set-top box by adding five new channels from the likes of Vevo, Weather Channel, Disney and Smithsonian. Piggy-backing on the development, a sketchy report by a Star Wars fan website is out saying Disney has been working with Apple on a dedicated Star Wars-themed Apple TV channel.

It should be unleashed time for the holiday season and permit users to stream the final episodes of the animated Clone Wars television series. More on that after the break…

MacRumors passes along a report by Jedi News.

The article is attributed to “unnamed sources” and claims this alleged Star Wars Apple TV “app” will in fact allow viewers to stream the final Clone Wars episodes exclusively digitally, only through the Apple TV and “for a limited period of time”.

In 2014, plans are in an early stage to use the platform to deliver SW7 production news ‘live’ from the sets, followed with Star Wars Rebels in late 2014 taking us all the way through to SW7 release.

Considering Star Wars movies are yet to make it on iTunes, the addition of the Star Wars Apple TV channel could test waters ahead of the supposed iTunes distribution deal involving the Star Wars movie franchise.

Interestingly enough, yesterday’s Apple TV update has added live and on-demand video content from two Disney properties: Disney Channel and Disney XD, along with channels from Smithsonians Institute, Weather Channel and Vevo.

This is in addition to the previous Apple TV programming partners such as Hulu Plus, Netflix, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, Vimeo, YouTube, Flickr and The Wall Street Journal.

It should be noted that Apple and Disney have an interesting connection as late CEO Steve Jobs earned a seat on Disney’s board of directors after selling his animation studio Pixar to the Mickey Mouse house.

And just last year, Disney has acquired Lucasfilm and its Star Wars franchise.

Disney was also the first movie studio to put its movies on the then-new iTunes Movie Store. That the studio’s Walt Disney World has deployed Apple’s iPads with RFID-based Fast Pass ticket system certainly isn’t hurting the developed partnership between the two premium brands.

Moreover, Disney CEO Bob Iger – also an Apple board member – last November bought $1 million worth of Apple shares in an apparent vote of confidence amid Apple’s Wall Street woes.