More than two years in the making, it's finally #AppleTVPlus launch day. There's been a lot of focus on its new shows (understandably so!) and what it doesn't have (old stuff.) But what's Apple's bigger play with TV+ --and the TV app? I wanted to find out (thread ahoy)
Since Apple hired two former Sony execs to run TV, people in Hollywood have been trying to figure out what the heck was going on in Culver City (where Apple video is based.) Was the plan to buy a studio/network & knock off Netflix? Maybe it just wanted to sell a few more phones?
As it started assembling creative execs and spending the now-required Crazy Sums of Money, I started talking to sources close to Apple about what the strategy was. TBH, many admitted they had no clue. But one thing I heard from a few was: "Pay attention to the TV app."
Apple is forever about making things pretty and elegant and easy to use for dummies like me. And one source told me maybe a year ago that what Apple really wanted to do was to Figure Out television, i.e, how could it bring order to the chaos of 15 streaming services, etc
We all used to just kick back and watch TV on the couch. Now, shows and episodes drop at random times. We read about some quirky British show from 'AlloBox in a @margeincharge or @kvanaren column and scream, "Ack! How do I watch that?!"
Apple was looking at TV as a problem to solve: How to Marie Kondo the video clutter. That process didn't start two years ago with TV+ team; the company had released the TV app earlier and the iTunes video store was an earlier stab at organization (and legalization)
Anyway, earlier this year, Apple updated the TV app. It stole a (very successful) idea from Amazon-- Channels-- which let it become a cable company, sort of: You could now buy your HBO from Apple, and hey, you could download HBO shows, too (can't do that with HBO Now)
Then a few months ago, Apple made its TV app available on non-Apple devices. You could get virtually the same user experience on a Roku as an Apple TV. Not unprecedented (see Apple Music, but rare. Apple wanted to be everywhere with TV, even if you didn't own an Apple device
Today, Apple rolls out the next phase of its TV plan: TV+. It's not a Netflix killer. It won't steal many/any subscribers from Disney+. But that's not Apple's goal (at least not now.) It wants to use premium shows and big stars to get folks to make Apple TV (the app) the default
And longer-term (or maybe relatively soon!), Apple may include TV+ as part of a bigger bundle of premium experiences-- Music, News, iCloud storage, TV. That would be the "Apple Prime" that @ballmatthew has been predicting for over a year. TV+ would be part of an overall package
None of this means the quality of Apple TV+ shows is irrelevant. It wants to wins Emmys and Globes. It wants the biggest talent to make shows, and to feel those shows are being watched and appreciated. Apple wants people to think TV+ is worth spending money on
But more than that, Apple wants to be your homepage for TV. It wants to show you (and sell you) the best of what's out there. And it wants you to think of TV as part of an overall Apple subscription so you're paying it $20 or $30 a month even in years you don't buy a new device
Anyway, I talked to some smart folks, including @ballmatthew and @RichLightShed + the two heads of video for Apple, Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, and, of course, some unnamed industry insiders. I hope you'll check out the result, up now on @vulture:
vulture.com/2019/11/what-i…
vulture.com/2019/11/what-i…
