Seems very unlikely to me. Why would Apple want to get involved in that mess? Anyone who buys a big cable TV company at this point is buying a ticking -- very obsolete, time bomb. Apple would have no trouble finding partners especially with telco-video providers like.... AT&T and Verizon. AT&T is probably a better fit since they are aggressively deploying U-Verse reusing lots of old infrastructure faster than Verizon is building out FIOS with new infrastructure. In either case you have a service that is already IP based and simply needs an Ethernet connection unlike cable with its RF tuners, burst modulators, CableLabs certifications, vast amounts of federal/state/municipal regulation, deeply proprietary backend systems, etc.
Just like the iPhone it would be a game changer. Give AT&T a few years of exclusivity on U-Verse and the cable operators will be begging for an Apple set top to replace their (mostly) vintage mid-90s Motorola/Cisco set tops. By this point they will already have made the jump to IP which will massively simplify the work Apple needs to do to support cable. The FCC has been looking at IP gateways as a replacement for CableCARD which plays right into this strategy. Eventually Apple could sell one IP set top that works with every provider.
It would also not preclude Apple from keeping the current carrier-independent Apple TV product around with reduced functionality. This strikes the right balance between hardcore TV watchers who demand 800 channels and casual TV watchers who are happy to pay a couple of bucks per episode.
Just like the iPhone it would be a game changer. Give AT&T a few years of exclusivity on U-Verse and the cable operators will be begging for an Apple set top to replace their (mostly) vintage mid-90s Motorola/Cisco set tops. By this point they will already have made the jump to IP which will massively simplify the work Apple needs to do to support cable. The FCC has been looking at IP gateways as a replacement for CableCARD which plays right into this strategy. Eventually Apple could sell one IP set top that works with every provider.
It would also not preclude Apple from keeping the current carrier-independent Apple TV product around with reduced functionality. This strikes the right balance between hardcore TV watchers who demand 800 channels and casual TV watchers who are happy to pay a couple of bucks per episode.