Apple has set a budget of roughly $1 billion to procure and produce original content over the next year, according to people familiar with the matter—a sign of how serious the maker of iPhones is about making a splash in Hollywood. (WSJ)
That’s music to studios’ ears, and a tune they have been expecting for some time—especially after Apple hired two top Sony TV executives in June. We still don’t know what Apple wants to do with that content: The Wall Street Journal says Apple wants to make up to 10 Game Of Thrones- or House Of Cards-scale shows, but that’s not enough to launch a full-scale subscription service. (Recode)
Netflix, the subscription streaming-video leader, plans to spend $7 billion on content next year (up from $6 billion in 2016), while analysts peg Amazon’s spending on programming for Prime Video at around $4.5 billion for 2017. Time Warner’s HBO spends around $2 billion per year on content. (Variety)
Apple has already dipped its toe into the business with the recent launch of its first original series, the unscripted Planet Of The Apps, on Apple Music. It also has a Dr. Dre drama series. (Deadline)