Top Bananas | Tag Archives: Apple TV

Apple Makes Deal to Reboot “Amazing Stories”

Posted on October 10, 2017 by admin Posted in Business, Hardware Leave a comment

What it is: Back in 1980’s, NBC aired an anthology TV series called “Amazing Stories” produced by Steven Spielberg.

Apple TV needs exclusive content to convince people to buy an Apple TV over any rival TV device. Apples’ first forays into original content produced bland offerings like “Carpool Karaoke” and “Planet of the Apps” that would attract close to zero people. That’s why Apple decided to spend $1 billion dollars to target A-list content from Hollywood. Their first major deal involves working with Steven Spielberg to reboot “Amazing Stories,” a critically acclaimed but commercial flop from the 1980’s.

“Amazing Stories” focused on offering a different story each week. Although it won several awards, NBC cancelled it after two years. It just wasn’t a commercial success. Now Apple is rebooting the show in hopes of offering unique content.

The big problem is that Apple, like most of Hollywood, has no idea what will become the next big hit and what won’t. That’s why Hollywood creates new shows every year and cancels most of them that same year. The failure rate for new shows is incredibly high and Hollywood hasn’t found a way to increase their success rate.

Apple will likely run into that same fate, which means Apple can target A-list producers like Steven Spielberg and hope they can churn out a hit, or they can go for a lower budget alternative with up and coming directors, producers, and actors, and hope to create the next hit show. Bot approaches are risky with no guarantee of success, but chasing after A-list talent seems like an expensive waste of money.

Just look at how often Hollywood wastes money chasing after A-list stars and directors, and often have little to show for their efforts. Audiences ultimately don’t care who is acting in a show or who is directing or producing it. What they really care about is whether the show is any good. A-list talent should improve the chances that a show will be a hit, but it doesn’t always do so. That means Apple should really target up and coming talent and offer them a chance so they can buy more content at less cost and increase their chances of finding a winner.

Apple needs original content, but spending for A-list talent seems more like desperation than a strategy. Perhaps Apple will get lucky and shows like “Amazing Stories” will become sudden hits. Most likely, the show will be okay but not a hit, and then Apple will be left searching for the next “sure thing” only to be disappointed once more.

That’s show business and that’s what Apple has to face going into original TV content. Apple doesn’t need to spend a lot of money trying to reboot the past. They need to spend a little money searching for the new A-list talent of tomorrow, and they’ll never find that by overpaying for A-list talent of today.

Watch Apple stumble along in the world of original content for the next few years. They’ll eventually find a hit show, but that will come about more out of luck than strategy. Welcome to Hollywood, Apple.

Apple Eyeing James Bond Franchise

Posted on September 6, 2017 by admin Posted in Business Leave a comment

What it is: In the search for original content, Apple may purchase the distribution rights to the James Bond franchise.

Netflix and Hulu long ago realized they needed original content to populate their streaming services. Disney already created original content but realized they could acquire Marvel Studios and the Star Wars franchise to profit from an established franchise. Now Hollywood is in a bidding war to acquire the James Bond franchise distribution rights and Apple is reportedly bidding against Amazon, Warner Brothers, Fox, and other companies.

Whether Apple acquires the James Bond franchise or not isn’t as important as the fact that Apple realizes they need original content (“Planet of the Apps” is a feeble attempt that deserves to be forgotten) and they also need the appeal of established franchises as well. This is why rumors occasionally pop up about Apple and Disney merging or working together because Disney has a huge amount of proprietary content and already worked with Apple indirectly through Pixar.

This is also why Hollywood keeps mining books to turn into movies for potential franchises such as “The 5th Wave,” “The Maze Runner,” and “The Divergent” series. Hollywood realizes franchises are far more valuable than individual movies because a franchise can help sell toys and merchandise while creating a foundation for a series of movies. That’s why Disney is creating a Hans Solo movie in additional to other “Star Wars” related movies.

Original content is hard to create that appeals to a huge audience, so acquiring the rights to established franchises is far simpler (but also far more expensive). Whoever gets the distribution rights to James Bond will then be able to dictate how those movies get streamed and at what price.

Given Apple’s growing interest in supporting Apple TV, it’s likely Apple will eventually land an established franchise of some kind, but James Bond is likely out of their reach for now. In wading into show business, Apple is in unfamiliar territory but can use their Apple TV and iTunes platforms as leverage in much the same way that Amazon uses its tablets and streaming services as leverage to get the best distribution deals.

Apple’s traditional rivals, Microsoft and Google, seem content to avoid the complex world of show business. Yet streaming content will become part of the future of technology so it’s surprising Google isn’t more interested in streaming content to support Android. Microsoft has already abandoned the mobile computing and wearable market, so it’s no surprise that they would avoid the streaming service market as well.

Apple may not succeed in Hollywood, but they have to keep trying because Apple TV depends on their success. Theo only question is how many times will Apple fail until they finally succeed?

Apple Eyeing Hollywood Studio

Posted on September 1, 2017 by admin Posted in Business Leave a comment

What it is: Apple may lease space in the Culver Studios in Hollywood.

It’s no surprise that Apple TV has been a disappointment. Hardware-wise, it’s little different than any competitors. Software-wise, its user interface is marginally interesting but nothing drastically superior to the competition. What Apple needs to do to separate Apple TV from the competition is to offer unique content.

Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services early on realized that if they all offered the same movies and TV shows as everyone else, there would be little reason for anyone to choose them except for price. This commoditization of products is what drives everyone to a race to the bottom, cutting prices constantly to attract customers who simply price shop to find the best deal. The moment a rival offers lower prices, customers abandon one company in search for a lower cost alternative. This race to the bottom is what gives PC makers razor thin margins.

To create proprietary content, Apple needs to work with Hollywood. That’s why Apple is reportedly interested in leasing space at the Culver Studios in Hollywood to put their people in close proximity to the content creators in Hollywood. Trying to make deals from afar is fine, but there’s no substitute for actually having contact with people in Hollywood on a regular basis.

Right now Apple’s current original content (“Planet of the Apps” and “Carpool Karaoke”) are rather thin enticements for getting anyone to buy an Apple TV. Apple needs a major series like “Game of Thrones” or “The Handmaid’s Tale” to attract customers to Apple TV. That’s why Apple plans to spend $1 billion dollars to purchase original content, although Apple is also competing against Netflix, Amazon, and other major companies for the same content.

This is great for Hollywood because it gives them more places to shop content with so many people fighting in a bidding war. This also likely means Apple will finance a series of flops before eventually finding a show that people like. Apple, like its rivals, needs to invest in TV shows and original movies.

TV shows are what can attract customers, but original movies can be useful as well. Netflix has been creating original movies and stumbling on flops as well as critically acclaimed films. Apple will likely do that as well. Apple needs to expect to fund flop TV shows and movies, and be ready for ridicule and embarrassment for some of their projects, but that’s the price they need to pay to eventually find a hit.

Unlike the computer industry, there’s no set formula for a hit TV show or blockbuster movie. Even the best films and TV shows sometimes struggle to find an audience and lose money. Venturing into original content isn’t going to be easy for Apple, but moving to Hollywood is a start. Just expect Apple to get their nose bloodied numerous times in high profile failures before they finally find success.

Once they find success, they need to further differentiate themselves from competitors somehow. Rather than bid on original content just because of an A-list star or director is attached to a project, Apple (and everyone else) needs to look at the actual content of the TV show or movie itself so they can create an overall brand.

Disney movies represent family entertainment. Yet to access racier content, Disney founded Touchstone Pictures so they can create films that don’t fit under the usual Disney brand. How will Apple do that with Apple TV?

Will that mean limiting violence and sex? Avoiding controversial topics? Sticking to family friendly entertainment? Apple is venturing into unknown territory in Hollywood and their brand name and reputation isn’t going to be much help to them if they simply mimic everyone else and pick and choose TV shows and movies like a crap shoot.

Apple TV has a long way to go to reach the status of the iPhone or Macintosh in the eyes of the public. Chances are good Apple TV will never be the best streaming TV option but it might still be good enough to make a decent profit and that’s the best Apple can hope for.

Apple Investing in Original Content

Posted on August 18, 2017 by admin Posted in Business Leave a comment

What it is: Apple plans to spend $1 billion dollars for original content.

What makes the Macintosh special is its software. If you want a computer that’s easy to use, you want macOS, which means you have to buy a Macintosh. If you buy a different computer from Dell or Hewlett-Packard, you’ll most likely get Windows or Linux, neither of which are as easy to use as macOS for novices. As a result, macOS is what helps drive sales of the Macintosh.

Now look at the situation with Apple TV. Apple TV offers the exact same movies that Hulu and Netflix offer, but both Hulu and Netflix offer more TV shows because they offer original content such as shows like “Game of Thrones” or “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Because there’s nothing unique about Apple TV, there’s really no reason to buy and use an Apple TV.

That’s why Apple plans to spend up to $1 billion dollars investing in original programming. They have to and silly reality TV show ripoffs like “Planet of the Apps”simply isn’t going to bed attractive enough for people to want. Apple needs its own must-see TV show like “Game of Thrones.” Hopefully Apple won’t create a clone of “Game of Thrones” but creates something unique that’s just as popular.

As Netflix and Hulu realized years ago, you need original content to attract people. Otherwise you risk being nothing more than a commodity service that can only thrive by cutting prices and profits. Witness the cutthroat competition among PC vendors to see how poorly that turns out for them. When you sell the exact same thing as everyone else, there’s no reason for anyone to by from you except for the price.

Most likely, much of Apple’s $1 billion dollar investment will go down the drain creating original shows that nobody cares about. That’s typical of snow business in general. Every year, the TV networks create new shows and every year they cancel more than half of them before the season even ends. Creating original content isn’t easy because it depends partly on the public and partly on the writing and acting.

Still, Apple must either let Apple TV languish or offer original content. They have no choice. One day, Apple will stumble upon a hit, but just as every television network has gone through cycles of up and down, so will Apple, Netflix, and Hulu go through periods where they offer nothing but garbage and other times when they offer the most popular shows around. That’s just the nature of original TV content.

Watch to see what happens with Apple TV in the future. It may not be much right now, but it could continue to languish in mediocrity or it could excel one day. We’ll find out eventually after Apple spends $1 billion dollars to stumble their way to success.

The Fragmented Future of Streaming TV

Posted on August 9, 2017 by admin Posted in Business Leave a comment

What it is: Disney announced that they’ll be pulling all Disney and Pixar movies from Netflix to start their own streaming TV service.

At one time, people only had three choices of TV networks to watch: ABC, CBS, and NBC. Then cable TV arrived and offered niche and unique channels like The Food Network and ESPN. Suddenly people had a huge variety of choices by just paying for a single cable TV subscription.

Then cable TV services started offering various bundles that never seemed to be what anyone wanted. This forced people to pay more, which actually resulted in many people cutting the cord altogether and dumping their cable TV subscription.

Then people discovered streaming services like Hulu and Netflix. For one low price, people could view most of the content they wanted. The problem Hulu and Netflix discovered was that by offering the same TV shows and movies as their rivals, there was no difference between streaming services. That’s why Hulu and Netflix (among others) started offering their own original content, much like how the big three TV networks (CBS, ABC, and NBC) used to differentiate themselves from their rivals on TV.

Now Disney has announced that they’re pulling their movies (and Pixar’s movies) off Netflix and starting their own streaming service. Disney rallied that they create original content and they should offer it to others to make even more money. Suddenly the content creators are becoming the streaming services and the streaming services are becoming content creators.

This means if you want to watch everything you like, you’ll have to start paying for multiple subscriptions. Nobody wants to give one company a monopoly over access like Apple once had with iTunes controlling the music industry. That means the future of Apple TV will rely on original content. Given Apple’s recent tentative forays into original content with reality TV shows like “Planet of the Apps” and “Carpool Karaoke,” this does not bode well for attracting more subscribers to Apple TV.

Disney is in a strong position to benefit from its own streaming service because it has a long history of creating content. Netflix is gaining a reputation for creating excellent original content as well. What this likely means is that every studio will try to start their own streaming service. Sony can stream content to Playstation users as a way to differentiate the Playstation from Microsoft’s Xbox. This could put control of the streaming TV business back in the hands of content creators like Disney, Paramount, and 21st Century Fox due to their long history of creating content. If everyone puts their original content to host it exclusively, this will greatly fragment the market.

The real key might be consolidation and niche marketing. Disney can dominate children’s programming, which makes their own streaming service attractive to programs like The Muppets and Sesame Street, not to mention cartoons like Bugs Bunny or Pokemon. Other services can offer more raunchy cartoons like The Simpsons while others might specialize in something else entirely. For those companies without a strong niche like Paramount Studios, they may need to work with others.

This creates a new opportunity for a company like Apple. Apple already has strong ties to Disney and Pixar, so could they make a deal or could Apple even acquire Disney altogether? Disney’s content is extremely valuable (think “Frozen” and “Cars” along with Marvel Studios’ entire content of “Thor” and “Iron Man”). Apple could monopolize the family friendly market by simply acquiring Disney and offering Disney’s exclusive content through Apple TV. That would be a faster way to offer exclusive content than to keep offering weak shows like “Planet of the Apps.”

The rumors have been swirling for years that Apple and Disney should merge, and with Apple TV flailing, this could be one way to save it. The only question is whether Apple TV and streaming services are big enough to justify an acquisition of Disney.

Short Attention Span TV?

Posted on July 20, 2017 by admin Posted in Business Leave a comment

What it is: Dreamworks co-founder, Jeffrey Katzenberg, is shopping around a New TV concept.

Apple TV is nothing to get excited about. It works, but it’s not that exciting to use and doesn’t offer anything that other streaming TV boxes offer. Apple TV isn’t bad, but there’s no reason to get it over rival products. To change this perception, Apple has been rumored to be looking at original content.

Netflix and Hulu created their own original content when they realized they were just selling the same movies and TV shows as everyone else. By offering original content, Netflix and Hulu can differentiate themselves from their rivals and give people a reason to subscribe. That’s what Apple needs to do as well.

Apple’s first attempt at original content, “Planet of the Apps,” is a dull, copycat reality show that few people will want to watch. It’s a start, but a poor one. That’s what makes Jeffrey Katzenberg’s “New TV” concept appealing. Because so many people watch video on smartphones and tablets, New TV is designed to offer original content not longer than 10 minutes in length. This is perfect for the mobile video watching crowd although it’s not exactly ideal for Apple TV since that sits in a person’s home.

Still, “New TV” offers one way to think about content. Few people are going to watch two hour movies on a smartphone or tablet, but they will watch a short story of ten minutes or less. Traditional movies last two hours and traditional TV shows last an hour or half an hour. New TV plans to offer original content that more closely fits the lifestyle of mobile computer users.

Offering such short, original content could be an interesting way to attract subscribers. Jeffrey Katzenberg is reportedly shopping this New TV concept to Apple, Amazon, Verizon, and other major companies. Apple could use all the help they can get in getting their original content strategy going, and New TV could be a start.

The world has a much shorter attention span than before. Just watch old TV commercials that focused on one person talking about thirty seconds compared to today’s commercials that constantly flash new images every second or so.

Movies and TV shows aren’t dead, but they’re not optimized for the mobile crowd. New TV could be an interesting concept. Think short and you may have a new world of video entertainment first made popular by YouTube. Original content is necessary, but the length of time for it could mean the difference between success and failure.