Samsung exploring online TV service: sources

Seoul

SAMSUNG Electronics Co is in preliminary talks with entertainment companies to sell an online TV service, according to people familiar with the matter, potentially joining a growing list of tech companies trying to compete with the likes of Comcast Corp and AT&T Inc.

The South Korean company has asked media companies how much they would charge to carry their TV networks in a bundle of channels over the Web, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. One idea Samsung is evaluating is whether it could offer the same collection of channels on a global basis instead of just the US, one of the people said.