Apple, via its iTunes store, could begin delivering to television viewers as early as next year what many of them have long demanded -- a la carte pricing of broadcast and cable programming, the Wall Street Journal indicated today (Tuesday). The newspaper, citing people familiar with the matter, said that CBS Corp. -- which is the corporate parent of the CBS television network and the Showtime pay-TV channel and a partner in the CW network -- and the Walt Disney Co. -- the corporate parent of ABC, ESPN and the Disney Channel -- are considering participating in the plan. In its report, the Journal observed that if Apple is successful in lining up enough top outlets for its service, which would be distributed via the Internet, it "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." Analysts suggested that Apple faces an uphill battle to convince TV and cable networks to sign up. Another stumbling block -- unmentioned in the WSJ article: cable operators control 64 percent of the Internet distribution lines to consumers.