New York Post:

Apple’s discussions with ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox initially foundered over the tech giant’s desire to offer on the soon-to-launch service local live TV feeds streamed on any Apple device, sources said.

But networks don’t control affiliate feeds. So Apple CEO Tim Cook’s team asked the networks to obtain those rights — instead of having Apple chase those rights around the country itself.

Now, it seems, Cook’s strategy is paying off, sources said.

The networks are close to having the right to negotiate with Apple on behalf of their affiliates, the sources added. Those affiliate groups, which include Tribune and Sinclair, are being told by the networks that if they opt in and offer their feeds, they will be able to share in the added revenue the Apple streaming product will produce, sources tell The Post.

Hard to judge the veracity of this story. The New York Post is not typically a source for tech news. But this has a feel of truth to it. If nothing else, the mechanics of this deal make sense and are worth understanding.

A while back, Barry Diller’s Aereo built out an antenna farm, designed to grab over-the-air broadcast signals from local network affiliates, then rebroadcast those signals over the net as part of the Aereo paid service. Aereo got sued, ended up going out of business.

According to the Post, Apple is stepping in to do the job that Aereo could not. Rather than grabbing the signal behind the networks’ collective backs, it seems Apple is negotiating with the networks to get the rights to broadcast affiliate feeds. At the same time, the networks are negotiating with their respective affiliates to secure the right to negotiate with Apple on their behalf.

Obstacles remain, but I like this story.