Apple has reportedly emerged as quite the picky buyer of TV shows, insisting on only family-friendly series, or at least shows that can be sent out to all its devices without worrying about younger viewers seeing them.
According to Bloomberg, Apple is searching for comedies and dramas that have broad appeal, like NBC’s “This Is Us.” For now, Apple is staying away from the kind of explicit content that can be seen in shows from HBO and Netflix.
The company is also gearing up for an international programming push, hiring Morgan Wandell from Amazon and Jay Hunt from Channel 4 to push development in Europe.
Apple intends to have a slate of programs ready for 2019, according to the report, and intends to place them in its TV app as complements to other companies’ programming. Apple was previously planning to add its original TV shows to its Apple Music streaming service.
RELATED: Apple set a $1B programming budget for the year, report says
Apple has reportedly set aside a $1 billion programming budget for the next year or so. Most recently, the company announced plans to reboot Steven Spielberg’s “Amazing Stories.”
To run its original programming aspirations, Apple hired Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg away from Sony Pictures Television.
“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, in a statement. “We have exciting plans in store for customers and can’t wait for them to bring their expertise to Apple—there is much more to come.”