Liberty Global ‘in talks to buy Intel’s online pay TV service’

Liberty Global is in talks with Intel to acquire its online pay TV service, according to business wire Bloomberg.

John Malone’s cable giant would seek to use the set-top box service, which has not yet hit the market, outside of the US, according to the report. Acquisitions discussions are at an early stage and could still “fall apart”, unnamed sources close to talks reportedly said.

Intel had originally hired former BBC technology chief Erik Huggers to develop the mysterious OTT set top box service, dubbed OnCue, in 2011 and he had said it could launch as early as this year.

However, by September, it was reported that Intel would likely miss its target and had begun seeking a partner with an existing internet subscriber base or content rights.

Then last month, reports claimed that Intel was close to selling the business to Verizon. Furthermore, Huggers was rumoured to have been up for the CEO role at broadcaster-backed on-demand service Hulu, though this job ultimately went to Fox exec Mike Hopkins.