Report: Apple Keeping Eye On Time Warner

Time Warner Inc. isn’t officially on the block, but Apple is staying extra close to any possible movement on this front.

The  NY Post has learned the tech giant is among a handful of companies, all possible suitors of the entertainment company, which has recently come under pressure from activists to sell itself or spin off assets, sources familiar with the situation said Tuesday.

With Time Warner shares closing at $71.06 on Tuesday — well below the $85 offer from 21st Century Fox that its board rejected 18 months ago — the New York company is seen as a sitting duck among media companies because it, unlike its peers, doesn’t have a dual-class shareholder structure.

In addition to Apple, AT&T, which now owns DirecTV, is also seen as a possible Time Warner suitor, as is Fox, which Bloomberg noted would still make a good partner for the Jeff Bewkes-led company.

Apple is eyeing Time Warner’s assets to ease the launch of a stand-alone streaming TV service, a senior tech insider suggested on Tuesday.

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple has struggled to create a skinny bundle of programming from existing content partners. A deal with Time Warner would give Apple most of what it needs: CNN news, Turner Sports and such hugely popular shows as “Game of Thrones” and “Sesame Street” from HBO — not to mention Warner Bros. movies and TV shows.