Earlier this week, a report suggested that Apple is in the process of buying rights to older Hollywood TV shows and movies as an effort to expand the Apple TV+ service. This comes as production on Apple TV+ shows is delayed significantly because of COVID-19.
The Bloomberg report explained that Apple still plans to primarily focus on original programming for Apple TV+, but that the company has “bought some shows and movies” after hearing pitches from Hollywood studios.
The company’s video-programming executives have taken pitches from Hollywood studios about licensing older content for TV+ and have bought some shows and movies, according to people familiar with the matter. The move represents a subtle strategy shift for Apple TV+, which launched in November with a lineup of original programs.
The company plans to keep TV+ focused on original shows, and hasn’t yet acquired any huge franchises or blockbusters for its back catalog, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.
The partial shift in strategy comes as Apple TV+ has faced countless delays in production, specifically for the second season of originals such as The Morning Show. While Apple has some original TV shows and movies in the pipeline still, things will begin to dry up in several months because of the shutdowns caused by COVID-19.
Personally, I think a back catalog of shows and movies on Apple TV+ would absolutely make the service more valuable. Having older TV shows and movies would certainly help complement original programming, especially while the library is still growing.
There’s little chance that Apple is looking to build a library that competes with Hulu and Netflix, but offering a decently-sized collection of older TV shows and movies could go a long way in making the $5/month price point more enticing when free trials start to expire later this year.
What do you think? Would a back catalog of content make Apple TV+ more appealing to you? Let us know in the poll below and down in the comments!
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments