Here's why Apple didn't win with a $500 million offer to J.J. Abrams for Apple TV+
When Apple offered J.J. Abrams $500 million dollars to produce content for Apple TV+, he turned it down to accept less money to work with WarnerMedia and keep more creative control over his work.
J.J. Abrams has created a lot of popular series, including Lost, Alias, and Westworld. He's also responsible for directing 2009's Star Trek reboot. His clout and talent made him an attractive prospect to Apple, who entered into a year-long bidding war for exclusive rights to work with his production company, Bad Robot.
Reports state that Apple ended up bidding somewhere in the range of $500 million dollars, which Abrams ultimately turned down in order to work with WarnerMedia.
According to sources familiar with the deal, Abrams has signed a five-year deal with WarnerMedia, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The contract is said to be worth somewhere in the $250 million dollar range.
Abrams refusal of Apple's $500 million offer reportedly comes down to risks and benefits. Had Abrams signed a contract with Apple, he would have to produce content exclusively for Apple TV+. Additionally, all of his content would have been shown exclusively on Apple TV+, limiting any potential audience he may get from third-party outlets.
John Stankey, the WarnerMedia CEO, said that he'd made it his personal mission to secure a deal with Bad Robot. WarnerMedia was able to offer substantial IP for Abrams to adapt, something that Apple would not have been able to provide. Additionally, Abrams wouldn't have been locked into a single-platform distribution model, either.
Abrams reportedly felt as though WarnerMedia had more to offer at the time. WarnerMedia is a large, established media giant -- with established intellectual property -- and would have offered more overall benefits and less risk than gambling on a new media service.
J.J. Abrams has created a lot of popular series, including Lost, Alias, and Westworld. He's also responsible for directing 2009's Star Trek reboot. His clout and talent made him an attractive prospect to Apple, who entered into a year-long bidding war for exclusive rights to work with his production company, Bad Robot.
Reports state that Apple ended up bidding somewhere in the range of $500 million dollars, which Abrams ultimately turned down in order to work with WarnerMedia.
According to sources familiar with the deal, Abrams has signed a five-year deal with WarnerMedia, reports The Hollywood Reporter. The contract is said to be worth somewhere in the $250 million dollar range.
Abrams refusal of Apple's $500 million offer reportedly comes down to risks and benefits. Had Abrams signed a contract with Apple, he would have to produce content exclusively for Apple TV+. Additionally, all of his content would have been shown exclusively on Apple TV+, limiting any potential audience he may get from third-party outlets.
John Stankey, the WarnerMedia CEO, said that he'd made it his personal mission to secure a deal with Bad Robot. WarnerMedia was able to offer substantial IP for Abrams to adapt, something that Apple would not have been able to provide. Additionally, Abrams wouldn't have been locked into a single-platform distribution model, either.
Abrams reportedly felt as though WarnerMedia had more to offer at the time. WarnerMedia is a large, established media giant -- with established intellectual property -- and would have offered more overall benefits and less risk than gambling on a new media service.
Comments
I’m skeptical Apple produced content will be any good. Disney after all doesn’t just produce cartoons for a reason...
Apple: Sure, no problem. Just – just go easy in the lens flare, please.
J J: I'm outta here. I must have creative control!
No, I imagine Apple gave him a general idea of boundaries and he simply chose not to work within that frame work. Certainly his choice and not a bad one for him.
Just as certainly, nothing wrong with Apple wanting to have certain boundaries and expectations of their content, either.
'Bandied about' is certainly not what Apple was doing. That's just ridiculous.
Which is some of the reason we're not running a multi-billion dollar company. Apple is just getting started. There will be growing pains and Apple could bow out at some point. Or, like the iPhone, iPad, Watch, and retail stores, Apple might barely eek by, traveling the treacherous Beleaguered Boulevard to Doomsville. Or they could break even and stay in business another day.
Apple and JJ both have visions of what they want to accomplish. This time they weren't on the same page. They may never be. Contrary to popular belief, nothing wrong with that.
As I understand it, Apple TV+ is open to more than just Apple devices, including TV manufacturers. Am I wrong?
And millions upon millions of people want just that, not explicit, gratuitous violence and sex along with Hollywood social propaganda. Bullets crashing through a victim’s head with their blood and brains splattered against the wall? Women being violently raped and murdered by sociopaths? Glorification of drug dealers and criminals? All Hollywood fare gobbled up by our debased and depraved culture. Oh, but violent video games. movies, TV series don’t have any effect on our cultural psyches, don’t desensitize us to the violence. it’s all just good, clean fun, right?
Either way no biggie for me. JJ has had a history of not being able to finish things, and as The Force Awakens shows, he's recently had a hard time starting things.
2- Apple has a reputation going back to Steve Jobs as prudish regarding content. Family friendly is the order of the day.
3-Warner has physical studio space and Apple has none. You can go to a Warner lot, but there is no Apple lot in Los Angeles County.
4-Apple has clueless Eddie Cue. I would not want to work for him, either.
Tim and Jon were nobodies before Steve gave them the opportunity to shine!
Also why in the world would Apple approach JJ and M. Night Shyamalan knowing what they produce? Something doesn't seem right here....
The idea is his content will be distributed on all Apple devices plus knockoffs, possibly Netflix and Hulu in the future etc.
I have a feeling this will backfire on him though when TV+ takes off.
I liked your comment but,
I think some people are not anti-family but want variety. Peanuts has it's audience as does Game of Thrones.
We already seen that See has weapons and war in it so like I said, looks like something is wrong with the rumors suggesting Apple is only allowing family friendly content. Why would they approach JJ and Shyamalan if that was the goal?