CBS will 'probably' sign a TV deal with Apple

The chief executive of CBS said that the US TV network will "probably" sign a deal with Apple TV.

Apple is thought to be planning a slimmed down package of TV channels and Les Moonves said that CBS is likely to be included in that service.

"We will probably do a deal with Apple TV," Mr Moonves said during a conference.

In the future customers are less likely to subscribe to big packages of TV channels, he said.

Mr Moonves, one of the most respected figures in the US TV industry, said that he met a senior Apple executive last week and talks are ongoing.

He was speaking at a conference hosted by Recode, an online technology news service.

In March the TV channel HBO launched a TV streaming service in the US called HBO Now.

For the first three months it was only available on Apple devices, including the Apple TV box.

Such services are a challenge to US cable TV providers who fear that more customers will cancel subscriptions if they are able to access premium channels such as HBO online.

There's been much speculation that Apple is planning a big move into TV and it's been reported that it will announce a new TV set top box next month.