It’s no longer a big secret that Apple is preparing a big push into an already crowded video streaming market, but original programming will likely only get the company so far in its upcoming battle against Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.

Of course, the Cupertino-based tech giant has been selling Apple TV digital media players for more than a decade, laying the hardware groundwork for the completion of a home entertainment ecosystem that continues to lack a truly compelling proprietary software platform.

At the same time, the likes of Amazon and Google have another very powerful ...