Here's why Apple didn't win with a $500 million offer to J.J. Abrams for Apple TV+

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Comments

  • Reply 21 of 45
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    I still don’t get why Apple is in the business of original TV shows other than they think they need to start charging customers a monthly fee for stuff and TV shows is one thing they came up with. And no one so far has given a compelling reason why Apple is doing this. All the podcasts and Apple centric talking heads focus on the what and the when but never the why. It feels like Apple starting with the financials and working backwards towards a product. Every time Cook paces the stage and talks about these shows as anything other than entertainment I want to vomit. These shows aren’t going to change the world. Sure some of them might be good and entertaining to watch, but they exist to keep you in Apple’s ecosystem and extract $5/mo out of you nothing more than that.

    alexonlinerazorpitRayz2016FileMakerFeller
  • Reply 22 of 45
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member

    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.
    Hmm... something serious to ponder. Incumbents are not just going to roll over as new companies enter the market.

    Other popular quotes (paraphrased, no time to quote word-for-word):

    "PC guys are not just gonna come in and figure this out."
    -Regarding iPhone

    "Motorola and Nokia are not gonna let Apple take the market while they whisper in their clamshells."
    -Regarding iPhone

    "We aren't afraid of Apple"
    -From the Swiss watch industry

    "Hmm... something serious to ponder. Incumbents are not just going to roll over as new companies enter the market."
    -Regarding Apple TV

    Apologies if you were being sarcastic.


    StrangeDaysalexonlineRayz2016jony0
  • Reply 23 of 45
    lkrupp said:

    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.
    Hmm... something serious to ponder. Incumbents are not just going to roll over as new companies enter the market.
    Just remember that the same things were said when Apple entered the music player market, the smartphone market, the tablet market, and the watch market. Apple was invading incumbent’s turf and they wouldn’t just let Apple take over. They would fight back. We know how that turned out. Why not give Apple some time before declaring their streaming services can’t compete with the likes of WarnerMedia and are DOA? This scenario has repeated itself several times and Apple has managed to succeed in spite of the obstacles placed in front of it.
    Apple has been trying to invade Hollywood's turf for well over a decade and hasn't made a dent.  Hollywood is a lot more powerful than you think.
    FileMakerFeller
  • Reply 24 of 45
    I still don’t get why Apple is in the business of original TV shows other than they think they need to start charging customers a monthly fee for stuff and TV shows is one thing they came up with. And no one so far has given a compelling reason why Apple is doing this. All the podcasts and Apple centric talking heads focus on the what and the when but never the why. It feels like Apple starting with the financials and working backwards towards a product. Every time Cook paces the stage and talks about these shows as anything other than entertainment I want to vomit. These shows aren’t going to change the world. Sure some of them might be good and entertaining to watch, but they exist to keep you in Apple’s ecosystem and extract $5/mo out of you nothing more than that.
    Because Apple's hardware margins are stagnant and / or declining.  Having services that they can up-sell helps offset some of that margin pressure.
  • Reply 25 of 45
    sacto joe said:
    “Additionally, Abrams wouldn't have been locked into a single-platform distribution model, either.“

    As I understand it, Apple TV+ is open to more than just Apple devices, including TV manufacturers. Am I wrong?
    Apple has no film distribution network with movie theaters. Movie theater showings are important to filmmakers (yes, “filmmakers” is still a term that is used even though more and more movie production is actually shot on high resolution video). Also, I’m betting Bad Robot retains certain rights over their product afterward which Apple wouldn’t allow, such as foreign market distribution, DVD sales, product licensing, etc.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 26 of 45
    JJ will be fine and continue to do what he does best, although I think Steve Jobs for better or for worse would have convinced JJ to join AppleTV+
    i.e. Do you want to continue selling "sugar water" for the rest of your life or join AppleTV+ and change the world?  lol

    Most people, myself included cannot see Apple's plan for things like AppleTV+ but I know that they are at least 5 years deep with flexibility for adjustments.

    We are fortunate to be living in interesting times because of Apple Inc. A Force for Good in a troubled divisive time period for our world.

    edited September 2019 watto_cobra
  • Reply 27 of 45
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    I still don’t get why Apple is in the business of original TV shows other than they think they need to start charging customers a monthly fee for stuff and TV shows is one thing they came up with. And no one so far has given a compelling reason why Apple is doing this. All the podcasts and Apple centric talking heads focus on the what and the when but never the why. It feels like Apple starting with the financials and working backwards towards a product. Every time Cook paces the stage and talks about these shows as anything other than entertainment I want to vomit. These shows aren’t going to change the world. Sure some of them might be good and entertaining to watch, but they exist to keep you in Apple’s ecosystem and extract $5/mo out of you nothing more than that.
    Because Apple's hardware margins are stagnant and / or declining.  Having services that they can up-sell helps offset some of that margin pressure.

    It also gives Apple control. Think of how Netflix shut Apple out after years of Apples help. It gives Apple the ability to envision and realize what a content service should be.

    Nothing new here, Apple has been doing this for decades.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 28 of 45
    Didn’t want to produce Apple sanitized content...
    You mean unlike Lost, Star Trek, and Star Wara? yyeaaahhh...
    edited September 2019 jony0
  • Reply 29 of 45

    Supposedly you get 1 year free Apple TV+ with the purchase of hardware.

    I’m skeptical Apple produced content will be any good.  Disney after all doesn’t just produce cartoons for a reason...
    There’s nothing supposed about it. Did you even bother to read the recaps of the keynote, if not watch the keynote itself?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 30 of 45

    lkrupp said:

    spice-boy said:
    I am curious about Apple TV+ but my expectations are safe, family stuff, so things with violence but nothing that would make Mike Pence blush. 
    And millions upon millions of people want just that, not explicit, gratuitous violence and sex along with Hollywood social propaganda.
    You mean the social propaganda that bigots are bad and women and gays deserve equal civil rights as white males? Scary stuff, dude. Scary, scary stuff. Long live the white male patriarchy!
  • Reply 31 of 45
    I still don’t get why Apple is in the business of original TV shows other than they think they need to start charging customers a monthly fee for stuff and TV shows is one thing they came up with. And no one so far has given a compelling reason why Apple is doing this. All the podcasts and Apple centric talking heads focus on the what and the when but never the why. It feels like Apple starting with the financials and working backwards towards a product. Every time Cook paces the stage and talks about these shows as anything other than entertainment I want to vomit. These shows aren’t going to change the world. Sure some of them might be good and entertaining to watch, but they exist to keep you in Apple’s ecosystem and extract $5/mo out of you nothing more than that.
    You have serious issues, dude. It’s like you don’t understand the concept of paying for optional services. Do you likewise whine about insurance? Or heck even about Netflix or Amazon? Is it money “extraction” or simply paying for things you enjoy? 
    alexonlineRayz2016watto_cobra
  • Reply 32 of 45

    lkrupp said:

    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.
    Hmm... something serious to ponder. Incumbents are not just going to roll over as new companies enter the market.
    Just remember that the same things were said when Apple entered the music player market, the smartphone market, the tablet market, and the watch market. Apple was invading incumbent’s turf and they wouldn’t just let Apple take over. They would fight back. We know how that turned out. Why not give Apple some time before declaring their streaming services can’t compete with the likes of WarnerMedia and are DOA? This scenario has repeated itself several times and Apple has managed to succeed in spite of the obstacles placed in front of it.
    Apple has been trying to invade Hollywood's turf for well over a decade and hasn't made a dent.  Hollywood is a lot more powerful than you think.
    Trying how? By becoming a major rental and sales distribution channel? They did that with itunes. Now they’re getting into content, similar to netflix, amazon, and others. It exists to sell a service. It doesn’t involve eliminating Hollywood or whatever it is you’re referring to. 
    alexonlineRayz2016watto_cobra
  • Reply 33 of 45

    I still don’t get why Apple is in the business of original TV shows other than they think they need to start charging customers a monthly fee for stuff and TV shows is one thing they came up with. And no one so far has given a compelling reason why Apple is doing this. All the podcasts and Apple centric talking heads focus on the what and the when but never the why. It feels like Apple starting with the financials and working backwards towards a product. Every time Cook paces the stage and talks about these shows as anything other than entertainment I want to vomit. These shows aren’t going to change the world. Sure some of them might be good and entertaining to watch, but they exist to keep you in Apple’s ecosystem and extract $5/mo out of you nothing more than that.
    Because Apple's hardware margins are stagnant and / or declining.  Having services that they can up-sell helps offset some of that margin pressure.
    Hardware margins haven’t done either, it’s public info on their earnings. Revenue is declining, as it was long expected when smartphones and the iphone cooled into a mature product category. Supplementing with services is a no brainer for additional revenue. 
    edited September 2019 alexonlineRayz2016watto_cobra
  • Reply 34 of 45
    avon b7avon b7 Posts: 7,971member
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but, doesn't Apple have over 1 Billion active devices? If so, Abrams does not believe that's enough? I'm sure someone else will comment with deeper analytical insight. I'm willing to listen.
    I currently have three active iOS devices and and three active Macs. There is also an ATV. On top of that there are a couple 90% air gapped devices.

    It sounds like a decent amount but from a subscription perspective it would only count as one.

    Counting devices will give you a high number but then you have to factor in the above to figure out how many of them are valid potential customers.
  • Reply 35 of 45
    Lost actually turned me off of television completely. Apple dodged a bullet.
  • Reply 36 of 45
    Lost actually turned me off of television completely. Apple dodged a bullet.
    Abrams usually starts something with a bang, then loses interest. Lost spun off into a total cluster...bomb.
  • Reply 37 of 45
    Correct me if I'm wrong, but, doesn't Apple have over 1 Billion active devices? If so, Abrams does not believe that's enough? I'm sure someone else will comment with deeper analytical insight. I'm willing to listen.
    You are forgetting that those devices can all be used to watch ALL of Apple TV+'s competitors. You're also forgetting that not all Apple users will even have Apple TV+ at all.
  • Reply 38 of 45
    lkrupp said:

    spice-boy said:
    I am curious about Apple TV+ but my expectations are safe, family stuff, so things with violence but nothing that would make Mike Pence blush. 
    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?
    Wow that's a fascinating interpretation of my comment. I actually implied some violence on Apple TV+ but no naked bodies (not people having sex but just someone in that their natural state. I am not a fan of violence and despite the claims that Hollywood is uber liberal no industry on earth promotes war by glorifying it more often than Hollywood studios. With the exception of the late Viet War period movies like Rambo kicked off the 1980's with a bang. Look how many movie posters have someone holding a gun or rifle during an average year. 

    My hope is that TV+ will have more intelligent shows like "Lost" "The Leftovers" etc... Those shows encourage their audiences to think about where the plot was going and characters were not dumb two dimensional as in all good or all bad. I enjoy various forms of entertainment but nothing that talks down to me. 
  • Reply 39 of 45

    lonestar1 said:
    Good. “Lens Flare” Abrams is a hack. 
    Lens flare brought back the Star Trek movies from the grave, it wasn't a long run but I really enjoyed the first one. 
  • Reply 40 of 45
    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?
    The other services aren’t going away any time soon. People can still get their soft-core porn on HBO, even if Apple doesn’t supply it.

    I don’t really care about ”See”. Just as another post-apocalyptic dystopian drama, with one original twist. (But wait a minute, if everyone on Earth is blind, why does the series star a guy with creepy tattoos over every square inch of his body?) 

    In fact, I’m not impressed by most of Apple’s TV offerings. A Jennifer Aniston sitcom? Oprah? 

    “For All Mankind” looks interesting, based on the trailer, but where is Asimov’s “Foundation”? Those are the only two shows I’d be tempted to pay money for. 
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