Apple in Talks With MGM and Pac-12 Over Content Deals for Apple TV+

[MacRumors]

Apple is working to bolster its Apple TV+ offerings and has been exploring deals for MGM Holdings content and college sports rights, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Apple executives met with MGM representatives and the Pac-12 Conference this year for preliminary talks that have "yet to reach an advanced stage." Inking a Pac-12 deal would give Apple its first live sports content, allowing the company to better compete with other streaming video services. MGM, meanwhile, has a huge catalog of content, though it's not known if a deal with Apple would focus on new, original content or would include existing content offerings.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple's meeting with MGM and Pac-12 suggest that Apple is open to major content deals to improve its Apple TV+ service, which means that in the future, third-party content could be added to Apple TV+ alongside Apple's own original content.

At the current time, Apple TV+ features just a handful of Apple's original TV shows, such as "The Morning Show," "For All Mankind," "Servant," and "See." Some of the shows have received praise and have been nominated for awards, but Apple's content offerings cannot compete with the large catalogs available on Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+.

Apple is charging $4.99 per month for Apple TV+, and while many subscribers have a free year after purchasing an Apple device, Apple will need to make Apple TV+ worth the subscription fee in the future. It's not clear if consumers will want to pay a $4.99 per month fee for limited content.

Article Link: Apple in Talks With MGM and Pac-12 Over Content Deals for Apple TV+

 

[DocMultimedia]

Please don't get involved with college sports. That market is already a fragmented mess.

 

[cardfan]

Yep. Apple just seems to be winging it here.

 

[chadsteruw]

Go Huskies!

 

[zack123]

MGM, that would mean Stargate, which Apple tried to save back in the day.
All for a new Stargate series.

 

[blevins321]

Please don't get involved with college sports. That market is already a fragmented mess.

Yeah agreed. It's terrible.

However, MGM. Come on Apple - daddy needs a new Stargate series.

 

[cardfan]

MGM, that would mean Stargate, which Apple tried to save back in the day.
All for a new Stargate series.

Yep all for one too. Auto sub. I only mentioned this months ago. Get a niche. Disney is riding baby yoda.

Stargate universe. Finish it. Reboot everything. I don’t care.

 

[MacOH21]

Because the PAC 12 is a powerhouse sports conference. /s

 

[jbachandouris]

Kinda think they should've thought of this BEFORE starting their streaming service. Definitely winging it.

 

[nuckinfutz]

Go Huskies!

“Mighty are the Men that wear Purple & Gold”

 

[Ar40]

HUGE if true. I wonder what Apple would do with the James Bond films if they added them to their service - some of the early Sean Connery ones have not aged gracefully, taking into account all the attitudes and stereotypes towards women that the Bond films are famous for.

 

[redheeler]

Because the PAC 12 is a powerhouse sports conference. /s

That's why PAC-12 games are perfect for TV+. Apple is looking to pick 'em up for cheap, real cheap, just to see if there is any benefit to having sports on TV+.

 

[Ar40]

Kinda think they should've thought of this BEFORE starting their streaming service. Definitely winging it.

The talks were apparently held February of 2019, so...

As an aside, I noticed that the Epix channel (from MGM) was heavily promoted this past year - esp. July/August - on the Apple TV app. It was placed earlier in the line of channels (before HBO even), and got a full page carousel ad for Pennyworth. I wonder if that was an overture by Apple to MGM.

 

[triangletechie]

HUGE if true. I wonder what Apple would do with the James Bond films if they added them to their service - some of the early Sean Connery ones have not aged gracefully, taking into account all the attitudes and stereotypes towards women that the Bond films are famous for.

They would do the correct thing and air them as is. You think it's a good idea for companies to go back and re-edit movies from the past to try and please everyone's sensibilities in 2019? That is patently absurd.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

Just what the world needs....another place for nobody to watch the PAC12 Network.

But don't worry....Larry Scott is on the mother...

 

[realeric]

Competition is not always good. It is going to wrong direction now, fragmentation. We have to subscribe every streaming services to watch all movies.

 

[techfreak23]

I’ve had the free year for almost a month now, and I still haven’t watched any of their shows. I have no interest whatsoever in their original content.

 

[Ar40]

They would do the correct thing and air them as is. You think it's a good idea for companies to go back and re-edit movies from the past to try and please everyone's sensibilities in 2019? That is patently absurd.

I would certainly hope not - I just don’t see it fitting with Apple’s TV+ brand. If they carry them I don’t expect them to be highlighted.
[automerge]1576784161[/automerge]

I’ve had the free year for almost a month now, and I still haven’t watched any of their shows. I have no interest whatsoever in their original content.

Your loss.

 

[gkarris]

MGM, that would mean Stargate, which Apple tried to save back in the day.
All for a new Stargate series.

How can that be?

Doesn't MGM own EPIX? Which is already a streaming service?

 

[Spungoflex]

Fragmented exclusive content spread among different streaming services is going to be so much more expensive and more inconvenient than cable TV ever was.

 

[Peepo]

MGM, that would mean Stargate, which Apple tried to save back in the day.
All for a new Stargate series.

Ya could call it “Stargate Multiverse”

 

[al256]

Nothing angered me more than Scott Forstall taking like 15 minutes to talk about sports during some WWDC back in the day. He couldn't get Apple Maps to be even decent, Siri was infuriating and iOS started looking outdated and weird (remember the green velvet game center look?).

Let the mouthbreathers watch their ESPN, NFL sunday, MLB at bat or whatever insane money-grabbing madness and leave the rest of us out of it.

 

[maclogan]

Just what the world needs....another place for nobody to watch the PAC12 Network.

But don't worry....Larry Scott is on the mother...

I mean, what sort of info does Larry Scott have on the Presidents and AD's of the PAC-12?!?! They should just try doing the opposite of what he tells them.

 

[RoboCop001]

Make a new Stargate series on Apple TV and I’ll sign up.

 

[PTLove]

Nothing angered me more than Scott Forstall taking like 15 minutes to talk about sports during some WWDC back in the day. He couldn't get Apple Maps to be even decent, Siri was infuriating and iOS started looking outdated and weird (remember the green velvet game center look?).

Let the mouthbreathers watch their ESPN, NFL sunday, MLB at bat or whatever insane money-grabbing madness and leave the rest of us out of it.

Sports bad grrr!

It makes sense to boost Apple+ with a sports package. The PAC-12, for those who do not know, is a "power 5" conference made up of the better athletic schools from the west coast. In terms of college football, which is where most of the money is in having such broadcast rights, the PAC-12 is in the lower realm of 'good', but has some large schools. This would be a relatively cheap way for Apple to get semi-serious with sports.