Apple has dipped its toes in original content with projects like the Beats 1 radio station, but there has been a lot of speculation around whether the company will ever produce its own media content, as both Amazon and Netflix have shown it can be very lucrative, launching many successful independent television series in recent years.
According to a contributor report from The Street, Apple is now looking to take that jump. It wants to produce original TV shows as exclusive content for its iTunes library offerings, according to the report, having spoken to ‘members of the Hollywood creative community’ late in 2015. These new TV shows could form part of a future Apple TV cable subscription service.
Don’t get too excited just yet about the idea of original content from Apple. For starters, the report is somewhat sketchy, given its provenance as a ‘contributor’ article on The Street’s site, but the author is a known media reporter. He used to write for Reuters and Bloomberg and certainly has connections with Hollywood business. Even if the report is true, though, it says that no shows have been commissioned for production yet. The report gives the impression that Apple is conducting very early stage meetings about such projects.
The Cupertino-based tech giant began sounding out Hollywood’s creative community late last year, but has yet to sign any agreements, according to two people with knowledge of the overtures. One plan is to have deals in place so Apple can announce exclusive content as part of a cable-like offering in September, when it is expected to unveil its iPhone 7, said one of the people.
The rumor mill has floated the idea of Apple launching a ‘skinny bundle’ internet cable service for Apple TV many times, but nothing concrete has ever transpired. Many media execs have gone on record regarding the talks, indicating it is a real project within Apple. Most recently, Apple was said to have shelved the idea facing pushback from the TV networks. Building its own content portfolio will let Apple offer compelling exclusive video content for its users as well as increase its leverage against the TV networks for its cable service negotiations.
Other reports have signalled Apple’s interest in buying Time Warner, owner of HBO which makes Game of Thrones and other popular TV series. An acquisition of HBO would certainly give Apple a headstart in producing its own content.
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If this does pan out, I’m assuming Apple would offer a flat rate of $9.99-$14.99 a month for unlimited access their media self-produced content versus charging viewers $2.99 an episode like they do with other shows they don’t own, but offer access to.
I wouldn’t assume anything when it comes to their pricing model. After all, just today they have made their radio stations off limits for non-Apple Music subscribers. These types of decisions are the product of Eddie Cue and Tim Cook I assume, the thought process is mind boggling.
How many shows do you expect them to self-produce?
Is this about Apple producing it’s own content or just purchasing exclusive content? If it’s the latter I get it, if it’s the former I think that’s nuts.mAs far as I know Netflix is just paying for others to produce exclusive content not actually producing that content iself.
I’ll wait for the jokes to write themselves
Would be nice if this were part of a plan to Apple Music-ify their TV show library. I know it probably isn’t, but it would still be awesome.
That would be great! I’d drop the likes of Netflix in a second if Apple offered their own $10-$15 a month unlimited movie & tv streaming service. They have a far better selection, but I refuse to pay a per episode price. I wonder how many actually access tv content off of iTunes for $2.99 an episode when Hulu has the same thing included in your $11.99 unlimited monthly fee.
Apple should attempt to buy Netflix, if possible. The original content that Netflix has and has pursued heavily is worth the $9.99/mth alone so I wouldn’t be cancelling even if Apple comes up with it’s own thing. Never mind the other shows that are available.
I agree. I don’t know how realistic it would be but Apple could have a streaming movie and TV based on a flat fee using a iTunes content or perhaps a subset of it. If they also purchased Hulu they could then add day after tv service. I don’t know how important live tv is now except for certain time sensitive categories such as sports.
A Hulu $12+ $15 ( max) would get you close to a $40-$50 total ad free package for everything.
That would be the “killer app”.
In my opinion, apple doesn’t needs to be a content company, curate stuff or spend millions signing up artists, as they have already got the library, (and the level playing field) in iTunes. Just keep it simple and just say “ok if you want to access our library and just play our stuff, from music, movies, tv shows and apps (when the Internet is fast enough in the future), just pay a subscription. If you want to download it to save on bandwidth etc then you would have to purchase it. And then let the content providers slug it out with Netflix and each other!
Yeah, for example… The Office, with Tim Cook in love with Steve Jobs, who is firing everybody and Scott Forstall who is trying to ruin the company.
Been saying this for a couple of years, but the killer “app” here aren’t sitcoms. IMO, Apple should launch a news network as the anchor and then build out around it with original programming. A legitimate news outlet, not what cable news has morphed into today – shils for political parties. It’s too late for this but I would have backed up the Apple $ truck to John Stewart’s residence and made him an offer he couldn’t refuse to Launch it. Run it. Be on it. Stewart is a visionary, again IMO, in Steve’s mold. It would transform TV as we know it.
Implying the average dummy cares about world events. Besides, news “market” is saturated there’s absolutely no need for yet another tightly controlled news service serving up the same left leaning drivel to smug leftists.
John Stewart a visionary, what a joke, he was a C-list comedian at best offering up safe opinions for leftist dipshits to repeat to their dumb friends at parties.
This would be very amusing… i can understand originals from companies like netflix, who are kinda in the movie business, albeit selling and distribution…amazon was at a push, but given that they launched amazon video it kinda makes sense…
But for apple, a tech company, it would be strange…
They’d need a new department – BUT this could also mean they will be launching their own TV/Movie subscription service…which would be awesome!!!
All we really need is an unlimited streaming monthly pass for the entire iTunes library. This is the type of variety Netflix has been trying to provide for years but greedy studio/distributor shitheads don’t allow.
What they don’t realize is that 10 or even 20$ a month is something lots of people will pay if it means streaming content is more convenient than piracy. Instead, you get mostly c and d-list content because they think that by holding out it will magically become 1993 again where people paid 34.99 for a VHS copy of Wayne’s World.