Apple taking a bigger bite of television programming

APPLE Inc has hired two longtime Sony Pictures Television executives to expand the iPhone maker’s push into original television programming, plunging deeper into a field crowded by Hollywood studios and online streaming services.

Jamie Erlicht and Zack van Amburg, responsible for hit shows such as Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul and The Crown, will join Apple in newly created positions that will oversee all aspects of video programming, the technology giant said. The pair have been Sony Pictures presidents since 2005.

“Jamie and Zack are two of the most talented TV executives in the world and have been instrumental in making this the golden age of television,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice-president of Internet Software and Services.

Hollywood has been awaiting the entry of deep-pocketed Apple into original video series, an increasingly competitive market.

Facebook Inc has signed deals with millennial-focused news and entertainment creators to make shows for its video service, while Amazon and Netflix have invested billions of dollars in award-winning comedies and dramas.

Apple began its move into the field last week, with a reality programme called Planet of the Apps, an unscripted show about developers competing for venture capital funding. – Reuters