Apple's Friday deadline: I'm having deja vu all over again

The last time Eddy Cue tried to corral a herd of gabby media execs on a tight deadline, Apple ended up in federal court.

From Bloomberg’s Apple Races to Get Studios Signed Up for New Streaming Service:

Before the curtain goes up, Apple needs to complete deals. The company is racing to secure movies and TV shows to offer alongside its own original videos and is offering concessions to get deals done by a Friday deadline, according to people familiar with the matter. Pay-TV programmers such as HBO, Showtime and Starz have to decide whether Apple is an existential threat, as some now view Netflix, a potential partner or something in between.

See also: The Apple e-book trial: The view from the hard benches

My take: Potential antitrust pitfalls aside, the Bloomberg piece is a well-reported walk-up to Apple’s March 25 event.