I remember a time when we only had four channels: ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS (public television). But wow, things change. Because today, you can watch TV on Netflix, Hulu, even on Amazon TV. So Apple wants in. Let’s talk about Apple, a billion dollars and Hollywood.
Sources say Apple has a billion dollars budget for the next year. That budget is to produce it’s own shows, whether it be TV or movies. In fact, Apple can produce, even buy out, as many as 10 shows in the near future. We’re not talking about second rate shows they do in mama’s basement, either. Because they expect these shows to be as good as the hit show Game of Thrones.
Apple is also bringing in the Hollywood heavy hitters.?Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg will lead this charge. They just came from Sony, and went right to work. They immediately hired. WGN President Matt Cherniss to oversee this new and daunting project. Furthermore, these three are meeting with Hollywood agencies about which shows Apple could buy out. One billion may seem like a lot, but in Hollywood production, it’s really not. Game of Thrones can costs up to $10 million an episode to make. ?If that’s what kind of shows they want to produce, then they really have to go some.
Money isn’t the only obstacle. Competition is. Amazon and Netflix has a big piece of the pie. And they make around $25 billion in revenue. This might be a good omen for Apple. Here in our Boston computer service shop, we talk about Netflix and Hulu, and HBO shows even more than the original channels. So this provides an ample opportunity for Apple. And they’re bringing in the right people for it. If you want to be the best, I guess you need to recruit the best. Apple, A billion dollars and Hollywood is a huge gamble. Will it pay off?