MUMBAI: As Apple prepares a potential new competitor to cable and satellite TV, CBS Corp. and Walt Disney Co. are mulling the idea of participating in its plan to offer television subscriptions over the Internet.

Apple is pushing to complete licensing deals and hopes to introduce the service in 2010, some of those people said. It is unclear whether any networks have signed on yet.
 
The proposed service could, in at least some scenarios, offer access to some TV shows from a selection of major US television networks for a monthly fee.

The service could undermine the big bundles of channels that cable, satellite and telecommunications companies, including Comcast Corp. and DirecTV Inc., have traditionally sold in packages to subscribers. 
 
If Apple signs up enough networks to launch a viable service, it could ultimately alter the economics of the television business.