Apple’s fledgling video team has been on a hiring and content-buying binge for months now, but the company has still not offered up many details about how its streaming service will work.
Speaking at SXSW, Apple senior vice president Eddy Cue mostly maintained the current strategy of not discussing distribution but did offer one clue about the upcoming service. According to 9to5Mac, he said that there will be a “surprise” technology angle to Apple’s video service.
Cue focused on how the video team, which he said is comprised of about 40 people now, is approaching entrance into the entertainment space. He said that Apple is all-in on entertainment but will focus on longform quality content instead of releasing tons of shows. He backed away from rumors that Apple could go after acquiring a company like Disney or Netflix, which he referred to as great partners.
Last year, Apple hired Sony Pictures Televisions alums Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht to run its video business.
Apple’s earliest forays into original programming were reality series like “Carpool Karaoke” and “Planet of the Apps.” Now the company has begun to pick up scripted shows.
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Also last year, Apple announced plans to release a morning news show drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, with Jay Carson, a supervising producer on Netflix’s “House of Cards,” as showrunner. Apple will also work with Steven Spielberg to bring back anthology series “Amazing Stories.”
Elsewhere during his SXSW talk, Cue discussed Apple’s work with augmented reality. He said that Apple believes the technology will be huge and eventually turn into an everyday product for many. He also said that challenges in the early stages have included difficulty with making tools for developers looking to build AR apps and increasing device distribution.