Apple reportedly planning to launch its own TV shows this year

By Jon Martindale January 12, 2017

apple original shows 2017 playstation vue tv — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Apple is well aware that a good deal of the money in the tech world is made with content. That’s why it’s looking to get in on the original programming scene that Amazon and Netflix have been having such success with. By the end of 2017, Apple will have its own scripted, original content and there’s even a suggestion it could start making movies in the future.

Apple Music fans will be pleased to learn that, as the rumor coming out of the WallStreetJournal’s report (via 9to5Mac) has it, access to these shows will be bundled into existing subscriptions. This would be another parallel of Amazon’s strategy of including much of its original programming and other content as part of its Prime service, which also offers free postage, music, and Ebooks.

Recommended Videos

Even as it adopts this proven strategy in terms of subscription systems, purportedly Apple wants to bolster its Music service in order to compete more directly with Spotify. The latest numbers suggest that Apple Music is currently used by around 20 million people, which while impressive, isn’t a patch on Spotify’s 40 million-plus subscriber base, not to mention its 10s of millions of ad-based freeloaders.

This wasn’t necessarily Apple’s original plan with its first-party programming, though. The initial plan was to team up with existing networks to showcase content or to stream it through Apple’s own services, but no deal could be struck, so now Apple is looking to go it alone.

Apple has previously shown an interest in programming that complements its Apple Music service, and it is believed that one of its first series will be the project Vital Signs, which is expected to be a gritty, semi-autobiographical series about the music business starring Apple’s own Dr. Dre, alongside Sam Rockwell (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) and Mo McCrae (Sons of Anarchy). The company is also currently said to be working on a competitive app-based reality show, called Planet of the Apps.

Updated by Ryan Waniata 1-12-2017: added more information about Apple’s scripted content, including the series starring Dr. Dre, Vital Signs.

Topics

Evergreen writer

Jon Martindale is a freelance evergreen writer and occasional section coordinator, covering how to guides, best-of lists, and…

Entertainment

‘Pachinko’s showrunner is not sure whether the show will get a season 3: ‘You call and ask them’

The cast of Pachinko

Adapted from a 2017 Min Jin Lee novel of the same name, Pachinko is one of the most critically acclaimed shows on television, and one of Apple TV+'s best shows. The show's second just wrapped up on Oct. 11, and in a new interview with Variety, showrunner Soo Hugh said that a third season is very much not guaranteed.
"You call and ask them," she said during a Q&A about the second season. "We have so many more stories to tell. One of the things that we’re battling is there’s just so many shows out there, right? Our fans are the best fans, and we’ve been blown away by how generous the critics are. But I think it’s just really hard to make noise in this time and space."

Pachinko is a sprawling epic that tells the story of a Korean family over several generations as they move to Japan and work toward a better life. While the book tells its story linearly, the series has split events up across several periods. In some of those periods, it has already caught up to the novel's events, while in others, there is more story from the novel that still needs to be told.

Entertainment

What’s new on Apple TV+ this month (October 2024)

Cate Blanchett looks scared as she stands outside a front door.

The unusual streamer that only offers original content, Apple TV+ has become such a hub for acting talent that Timothée Chalamet has done ads about how he feels left out. Although the strategy hasn't always worked out, Apple TV+ has seen a fair amount of critical success, particularly with Best Picture winner CODA and Emmy-winning drama Severance.

There are only a few new arrivals each month to Apple TV+, but they're usually all worth at least a glance. This month is no exception. Read on for everything coming to Apple TV+ in October 2024.

Entertainment

Apple TV+’s best show needs to be your next TV binge

Jack Lowden stands in a doorway with his hands raised in Slow Horses season 4.

It's hard to tell what is a hit TV show and what isn't these days. The absence of conventional TV ratings and the lack of anything even resembling a monoculture has made it impossible to know which shows "everyone" is watching and — even more importantly — which are actually pulling in big enough numbers to be considered genuine hits. This has only become harder now that tech companies like Apple and Amazon have essentially taken over Hollywood and displayed a surprising indifference regarding how much money their film and TV originals make.

If there is one thing that is abundantly clear in today's confusing, ever-shifting television landscape, though, it's that not nearly enough people are watching Slow Horses. The low-level spy series has been a joy to watch ever since it premiered on Apple TV+ in early 2022. Late last year, however, the series' third season made a great case for it being — along with The Bear and perhaps Industry — the best ongoing show on TV, period. Now in its fourth season, Slow Horses hasn't lost an ounce of its sweaty charm or its sharp wit.