Apple wants to develop original television shows and movies and is looking to hire people to promote its content, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources which said the programming would be available to subscribers of its USD 10 per month streaming music service. Executives at Apple have told people in Hollywood they hope to start offering original scripted content by the end of this year. The company has been in talks to buy the rights to scripted TV programmes for some time. Plans for original movies are at a more preliminary stage.
The shows Apple is considering would likely be comparable to programmes like “Westworld” on Time Warner’s HBO or “Stranger Things” on Netflix. Apple is not indicating it will spend the money necessary to become a direct competitor to Netflix, Amazon’s Prime Video or premium cable networks. Rather, it would push Apple Music against Spotify by adding other content that could its service.
