Apple recruits four TV executives to growing video team, offers hints at future programmin...
Apple recently hired four veteran television executives to join its quickly growing video content team, with the new recruits tasked to head up original programming initiatives including documentary series.
According to a report from Variety, Apple picked up former Sony Pictures Television head of current programming Kim Rozenfeld to fill a similar role in Cupertino. Along with leading current programming, Rozenfeld will head up documentary series development, the report said.
So far, Apple has only dabbled in documentary content, purchasing exclusive rights to music-focused films "Kygo: Stole the Show" and "Can't Stop, Won't Stop." The documentaries debuted on Apple Music over the summer to mixed reviews.
Rozenfeld will answer to his prior Sony bosses Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, who in June moved to Apple to head up original programming.
Along with Rozenfeld, Max Aronson and Ali Woodruff, also from Sony, have been brought on board as development executives. Aronson was VP of drama development at Sony Pictures TV, while Woodruff served as director of creative affairs.
Outside of former Sony staff, Apple recently hired WGN America head of publicity Rita Cooper Lee, who will lead communications for the tech giant's video unit under the guidance of Tom Neumayr. Lee is Apple's second WGN hire, the first being former president and general manager of WGN America and Tribune Studios Matt Cherniss.
Apple is quickly building out its in-house video team as it moves to procure and produce original content. So far, the company has aired two original shows, "Planet of the Apps" and "Carpool Karaoke," but many more are rumored to be in the works.
A report last month claimed Apple has budgeted $1 billion on original programming for 2018, a fraction of what other production houses and streaming companies intend to spend over the same period. More recently, Apple is said to be mulling a move into the storied Culver Studios lot in Hollywood.
According to a report from Variety, Apple picked up former Sony Pictures Television head of current programming Kim Rozenfeld to fill a similar role in Cupertino. Along with leading current programming, Rozenfeld will head up documentary series development, the report said.
So far, Apple has only dabbled in documentary content, purchasing exclusive rights to music-focused films "Kygo: Stole the Show" and "Can't Stop, Won't Stop." The documentaries debuted on Apple Music over the summer to mixed reviews.
Rozenfeld will answer to his prior Sony bosses Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, who in June moved to Apple to head up original programming.
Along with Rozenfeld, Max Aronson and Ali Woodruff, also from Sony, have been brought on board as development executives. Aronson was VP of drama development at Sony Pictures TV, while Woodruff served as director of creative affairs.
Outside of former Sony staff, Apple recently hired WGN America head of publicity Rita Cooper Lee, who will lead communications for the tech giant's video unit under the guidance of Tom Neumayr. Lee is Apple's second WGN hire, the first being former president and general manager of WGN America and Tribune Studios Matt Cherniss.
Apple is quickly building out its in-house video team as it moves to procure and produce original content. So far, the company has aired two original shows, "Planet of the Apps" and "Carpool Karaoke," but many more are rumored to be in the works.
A report last month claimed Apple has budgeted $1 billion on original programming for 2018, a fraction of what other production houses and streaming companies intend to spend over the same period. More recently, Apple is said to be mulling a move into the storied Culver Studios lot in Hollywood.
Comments
Apple may or may not have hired mobile phone experts ahead of the iPhone but that's a much different situation more similar to the development of the iPod. Apple had the hardware technology and software platform available to create a revolutionary product. Much of the knowledge and talent required was already available at Apple. Even so, they still worked with Mororala first on the ROKR E1 and then in coloboration with Cingular (Now AT&T) on the iPhone.
Manufacturing a phone, while not identical to the process of a laptop or iPod, has many similarities. Getting into the content production business is a whole different ball game.
All filmed and produced using iPhones and iPads, of course.
In fact, Apple didn't build iTunes from scratch: it was originally a product called Soundjam that had been on sale for a couple of years before Cupertino bought it. The team responsible for Apple's chip design was also an acquisition. Both happened during the Jobs era.
Has essence? What does that mean?
Seems to me Apple is catering to Wall Street here. Wall Street is obsessed with “services” and iPhone is all tapped out and Apple has no new innovative hardware in the pipeline so they want Apple extracting m0r3 revenue from the existing install base. I guess we’ll see if people are interested in subscribing to content from Apple. I’m not convinced they are.
So Apple getting into a video streaming service will not, from a bottom line income perspective on its own, move the needle much (even after say 5 years of operation). Netflix example - 2016 revenue was $8.8B, cost of revenue (mostly content) was $6B, and their overall net income was $300M. It will certainly help the overall services business grow (contributing to that average growth of 18-20% per year).
As for people being interested - it all depends on the content and how it is priced. If the content ends up being good (whether their own direct license/produced content, or what they license for sale from others), then a number of consider subscribing. Apple is still the #1 seller/renter of digital content.
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Also at the level these executives may not know much. I mean if you work for a long established company, particularly a production company, at the high level you are just making decisions about what content you are going to fund. Thats it. The real work is done at the producer and director level, and each show is effectively managed/produced independently. These are the guys you need to hire, or fund, for new content.
And then I realized that it is.