Ben Thompson explains the US TV industry brilliantly:

“TV can be broken up into five distinct parts:

1. Content Creation is the actual creation, filming, and production of a TV show
2. Content Production is the commissioning and funding of a TV show, usually by a studio
3. Content Aggregation is the packaging of several different TV shows into a single offering, usually by a network/channel
4. Service Offering is the marketing of multiple networks and channels to consumers, usually on a subscription basis
5. Delivery is the actual transfer of television content into your home”

Created by Ben Thompson: http://stratechery.com/2015/changing-unchanging-structure-tv/ — Created by Ben Thompson: http://stratechery.com/2015/changing-unchanging-structure-tv/

But does this structure apply equally to the UK? Sky seems to control more than the US cable companies. Whilst they do the obvious delivery and service, they also provide production by funding original programmes like Gomorrah and Fortitude, and do aggregation with their own channels like Sky Atlantic (showing 'must-see' series like True Detective, Made Men, Game of Thrones). They also own most of the major sports programming through SkySports, as well as using their hardware to deliver 'on demand' content from BBC and Channel 4, and even sell downloads of new movies and TV series.

Thompson's analysis is all in answer to the question of whether Apple can gain a foothold in the TV market with their rumored TV service. His conclusion is that, because of the structure, there is room for Apple to steal the march on the cable companies, even if they will still be somewhat beholden to the content companies for their 'must-see' shows and sports rights.

The dominance of Sky here means that I'm eager to see whether Apple's rumored proposal will be able to make a mark in the UK.