Apple may indeed be using the Apple TV to test the live broadcasting waters, as evidenced by its recent decision to stream former Beatle Paul McCartney's live performance this Thursday. The company "announced" via a banner on iTunes that the stream would take place at 7pm PST on February 9 both on iTunes (for Mac and PC) as well as the Apple TV—the first livestream of its kind for Apple's set-top box.

This isn't the first time Apple has streamed live (usually music-related) content via iTunes, but it will be the highest-profile and the first available to Apple TV users. The company is not charging for the stream—it will be free to help boost the profile of McCartney's recent album release, Kisses on the Bottom—and it will be viewable via the Apple TV's "Internet" menu under "iTunes Live."

The reason this is significant is because of long-standing rumors that Apple is looking for ways to challenge traditional TV delivery methods, like cable and satellite. There has been buzz that Apple might try to launch its own TV subscription service, while others (myself included) believe Apple is more likely to begin allowing third-parties to create "apps" for the Apple TV that will let them stream their own live content with ads. Apple will undoubtedly be watching its viewer numbers during the McCartney concert on Thursday, and if it sees anything encouraging coming from Apple TV viewers, it may be able to use those statistics to woo more content producers to give it a shot as well.