Apple just made a big hire that could mean it's serious about taking on cable

Apple has hired a former Time Warner Cable executive in what could signal an expanded push into streaming video and other online services.

Peter Stern, who was most recently chief product, people, and strategy officer at Time Warner Cable but left when it was bought by Charter Communications, has joined Apple, an Apple spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider.

Stern will be a vice president at Apple and will focus on cloud services, including iTunes, iCloud, and Apple Music, according to The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the move.

The hire is sure to reignite speculation that Apple is preparing its own streaming television service, a closely-watched expansion into a lucrative new market which has never been confirmed by the company.

Stern will report to Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president in charge of online services, who previously led talks with cable providers to create a TV service. Stern was one of the Time Warner Cable executives that previously negotiated with Apple.

But Apple's streaming TV project has reportedly been put on the backburner, and last year's Apple TV launched without an Apple-branded streaming music service.