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.
Since its tortoise-slow launch a year ago, Apple has evolved its subscription streaming service substantially.
Ten months after he chafed under AT&T’s takeover of the network, he reboots himself as a producer in a five-year deal with Apple TV Plus.
At first blush, this seems like an injudicious omission by Apple. There’s a lot riding on the company’s new services, and its video subscription in particular. On closer inspection, though, Apple is making a calculated bet that it doesn’t need those Android phone users — or has other ways of reaching them that don’t require cozying up to arch rival Google.
Exclusives
The main takeaway from the programming portion of the festivities is that there’s no reinventing the wheel — that Apple is in the same business as networks, studios and streamers, which involves courting talent and seeking to identify hits. The same applied, largely, to its efforts to streamline distribution, although at least the sales pitch there — a more a la carte-based approach in which you “Only pay for what you want” — has a clear potential consumer benefit.
After a lot of rumors and making us wait for what feels like 10 years, Apple has finally pulled back the curtain and given us a small glimpse into its upcoming streaming service, which will be called Apple TV Plus (stylized as Apple TV+) and is said to be “the new home for the world’s most creative storytellers featuring exclusive original shows, movies, and documentaries.” We still don’t know when the many programs Apple has ordered to series will make their official debuts, but we do know a little bit about what to expect from the service itself. So here’s a brief rundown of everything we know so far.
Apple also noted Monday that its Apple TV app brings together different streaming services and traditional cable subscriptions.
