“Apple has emerged as the surprise buyer of the unscripted TV series based on the ‘Carpool Karaoke’ segment of CBS’ ‘The Late Late Show with James Corden,'” Cynthia Littleton reports for Variety. “The tech giant’s Apple Music service will distribute the series on its digital platform worldwide and it will be available on other Apple sites.”
“The show sparked a bidding war among cable and subscription VOD outlets because of the segments have been such viral sensations for ‘Late Late Show,’ which impressed by nabbing an Emmy nomination for talk-variety show in its first year of eligibility,” Littleton reports. “‘We love music, and ‘Carpool Karaoke’ celebrates it in a fun and unique way that is a hit with audiences of all ages,’ said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services. ‘It’s a perfect fit for Apple Music — bringing subscribers exclusive access to their favorite artists and celebrities who come along for the ride.'”
“‘Carpool’ segments to date have generated more than 800 million views, according to CBS,” Littleton reports. “Apple has licensed 16 episodes of the show, to be exec produced (but not hosted) by Corden and ‘Late Late Show’ exec producer Ben Winston for the pair’s Fulwell 73 banner and CBS TV Studios… Apple Music will release the ‘Carpool Karaoke’ episodes on a weekly basis. Production is expected to begin soon with a premiere date to be announced. In becoming a regular series, ‘Carpool Karaoke’ will emphasize a travelogue element with celebrities taking the host (who is still be cast) on a trip to places of personal significance to each guest. CBS still has the option of licensing a second window of the show to a traditional TV outlet.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Students, don’t forget the Apple Music student plan which discounts the service by 50 percent for those who are enrolled in an eligible college or university. More info here.
Apple Music has rendered Spotify’s future decidedly dimmer.
The best customers are those who pay. As demonstrated by years of data, form disparate sources, those paying customers are also significantly more likely to be iPhone owners than those who’ve settled for poor iPhone facsimiles. A healthy portion of these coveted customers will leave for Apple’s comprehensive offering which offers better family rates, more music, likely exclusives, and seamless integration across all Apple devices. It’ll even work with crappy Windows PCs and Android phones… (not that those are likely to be Spotify’s paying customers, but whatever, some of them will join Apple Music and maybe even graduate to Apple devices because of it).
I adore carpool karaoke!!! Did anyone watch the amazing segment with Michele Obama. She rocks!!!! Best FLOTUS ever!!!
Yes, she was really good in it.
I have to say, the great part of the show’s appeal is James Corden and his self-effacing enthusiasm and charm. The show could go horribly wrong (or boring) depending on the charm of the host.
I LOVE James Corden in Carpool Karaoke – they are one and the same for me – he has made that show so much fun because he has so much fun doing it! I don’t want to see it another format or with a different host, then it is just a different show altogether.
I’m not going to say I don’t want to see it. I can’t know who they’ll pick as a host, and how good (s)he will be. Corden is definitely very charming and all, but there is no reason why the concept wouldn’t work with someone else with similar personality (or even completely different).
Yawn. Inefficient allocation of resources, IMO
We can’t know that. Nether MDN, nor the original Variety article, specifies the amount Apple paid for this show.
This isn’t the first original series production for Apple (the first was “The Score”), and other scripted and reality projects are already in the pipeline.
Whether we like it or not, Apple is venturing into producing original content for its streaming service. This was to be expected, since it is the most efficient way of differentiating a competitive service — by offering exclusive content.
Without James Corden driving, this could well be one vehicle that takes a seriously bad wrong turn.
Buying this is the perfect reflection of how clueless this CEO is.
Can’t buy me Love. James Corden made a good deal, but the show turns into an ad. Shame on Apple.
Loving the Product was the Game. This NumbersGuy does not even know what Pro Users need, what the Apple Brand Core once defined.
Ruining a perfect Brand Core continues, because the rich don’t care.
Just saying.
Bloody hell Al’s gone off the rails a bit.
Apple bought the show for $15 billion.