In June 2017, Apple hired Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht in June 2017 from Sony, where they’d produced Breaking Bad, to lead Apple’s streaming media efforts and develop content for what would become Apple TV+, set to launch November 1st.
Lucas Shaw and Mark Gurman for Bloomberg Businessweek:
A few weeks later, Van Amburg and Erlicht met with Aniston and Witherspoon, who were pitching a new idea for a drama. Although they were meeting with a half-dozen networks, including HBO, Showtime, and Netflix, Apple had something unique to offer: an almost unlimited bankroll.
MacDailyNews Take: Yup.
Those who can wrap their heads around Apple’s massive cash mountain and the company’s unparalleled ability to generate cash can clearly see who the winner will be. The most talented producers, writers, directors, editors, actors, etc. are attracted to exactly what Apple has and makes in vast abundance: Cash. The king.
Like bears to honey, it’s happening already. – MacDailyNews, January 3, 2018
Apple has the money required to catch up and even surpass all competitors very quickly and they can accomplish it without buying a studio or even production companies. — MacDailyNews, April 3, 2018
When it debuts in November, Apple TV+ will offer the new shows and a handful of original movies for $4.99 a month, but it will be free for a year to anyone who buys a new iPhone or an Apple TV set-top box.
MacDailyNews Note: For the sake of accuracy, eligible products carrying one year of free Apple TV+ access include far more than just iPhones or Apple TVs: Customers who purchase any new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch starting September 10, 2019, can enjoy one year of Apple TV+ for free. Beginning November 1, customers can initiate the one-year free offer in the Apple TV app on the device running the latest software.
Apple sells about 200 million iPhones annually, which means 200 million potential trial users in the first year. If even a quarter of those people keep Apple TV+ after their yearlong freebie, Apple will have one of the most-watched TV networks in the world and an additional $3 billion in annual revenue.
MacDailyNews Take: Lock us up, we just broke Betteridge’s law of headlines!
Apple TV+ will be a massive success and, at $4.99/month, if Apple just leaves the price alone for three years, the company will have 100+ million paying subscribers with 36 months from launch.