The rumors that have been swirling around for years appears to be true: Apple is looking to enter the TV and movie production industry just like Amazon and Netflix has done recently. According to a new report form Variety, Apple has been looking to hire both actors and directors to create production divisions that would produce exclusive long-form content in-house.
Leading Apple’s charge into the entertainment industry is Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet Software and Services. Cue has also been negotiating with US cable companies for Apple TV content and who made peace with Taylor Swift after the Apple Music debacle.
According to the report, Apple even attempted to win a bidding war for Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, the former stars of the BBC’s hugely popular Top Gear automotive show. Amazon eventually secured the deal in July, paying a reported $250m (£160m) for the trio. If Apple is indeed preparing its own original programming, it would make sense that the three British presenters were at the top of its wish list. The ball is now in Amazon’s court; the company is desperate for a House of Cards-level hit, but aside from the well received Jeffrey Tambor-led Transparent, it’s failed to make much headway.
Apple’s iTunes store currently sells episodes only a la carte, but given Apple Music’s monthly all-you-can-stream subscription fee structure, it’s certainly feasible that it could move to a Netflix-style subscription plan for this content, too.
The news comes as Apple is also reportedly seeking to create an over-the-top streaming television service, which will bundle several cable channels and would be available through the Apple TV device. Apple has apparently been negotiating with various media companies for quite some time, but a streaming video service could arrive as soon as next year for a starting price of $40 a month.
Original content would be a valuable addition to Apple’s rumoured TV service and would help the company, as it has with Netflix, to differentiate itself in the crowded streaming market.
But, as Cue said in May, TV is a difficult nut to crack due to a lack of standards and various licensing issues.
