Report Claims Apple's Original Programming Efforts Will Avoid Mature Content

[H2SO4]

I respect and applaud Apple's decision on this. I don't view it as "censorship" at all. They are not preventing anyone else from producing (or viewing) mature content, they are simply saying they don't want to be associated with it.

Get a grip. It's on their platform. Just so you know from the APPLE dictionary......
"the suppression or prohibition of any parts of books, films, news, etc. that are considered obscene, politically unacceptable, or a threat to security: the regulation imposes censorship on all media | [ as modifier ] : we have strict censorship laws.".
If you don't think it's a form of censorship, (which they have every right to by the way), you are wilfully short sighted.

 

[agsystems]

Apple will lose some great content - but I saw a bunch of family shows winning Emmy's - so it is possible to have quality content without the 'adult' content.

 

[bluespark]

Or, and bear with me here, because this is an out there thought, but maybe people should produce all types of content for TV and let other people decide what they want to watch.

What's one of the most popular shows in the world again? Oh right, it's Game of Thrones. Full of sex, violence and <gasp> dirty words.

Maybe Timmy's out to lunch on this one.

GoT obviously has many strengths (I quite like it myself), but the fact that this show is popular doesn't mean every content provider needs to be doing this or that this is the only path to success. If anything, the easy availability of content like GoT supports Apple's position. Apple can carve a different path while knowing that providers of this type of content are free to do so elsewhere.

 

[pete480]

No one is going to sign up for that crap.

 

[Apple blogger]

Thank god! It’s really getting on my nerves these days.. good work Apple if that’s true

 

[bluecoast]

To those who think that this is bad news:

Would The Empire Strikes Back have been better if it had showed Han And Leia having sex?

Or a more gruesome torture scene for Han?

Or maybe a nastier scene when Luke has his... (redacted in case there are still people in the world who haven’t seen this movie!)

It’s really possible to tell great stories and be restrained about what you show and still produce scenes that are funny, touching - and shocking.

 

[bluespark]

It doesn’t but I don’t want to watch shows that are like Disney films. It’s just not a realistic portrayal of life.

We're probably not talking about Disney-type content. But even if we were, Disney is a shining example of how a company can achieve commercial success with family-oriented fare. If you don't want to watch Disney shows, fine; others do.

 

[aaronhead14]

Good. This is really smart of Apple. Everyone's doing mature stuff these days and it's become so predictable, unoriginal and, frankly, lacking in creativity. Sex and copious amounts of violence are such cheap ways to get people to watch your stuff. Glad Apple's instead choosing to be smart and innovative.

 

[itsmilo]

Good! Cuz people don’t use the F word or have sex or kill each other with guns on the streets everyday! It’s all just made up by the media! Apple Bann it alll!!!!

 

[oneMadRssn]

I like some violent as sexually explicit shows (Game of Thrones) and some family-friendly shows (Modern Family), but what I really don't like is when a show tries to be violent or sexually explicit but is on a channel that doesn't allow it. The trying to be sexy/violent without sex or violence is what I hate.

For example, The Americans would be an otherwise five-star show in my opinion but for all the unnecessary sex scenes where everyone is inexplicably covered up. Nobody just stands up covering themselves with a bedsheet - nobody does that! Doing really unrealistic stuff like that takes me out of the scene - it breaks the story. Plus, there is no point because what they do show is close enough that most parents wouldn't want their kids to see it anyway. Either find a way to tell the same story without the sex scenes if the channel decided that it won't show nudity, or find a place to tell the story that will let the story be authentic.

 

[Ortiz83]

It’s a steaming service that will be available to the public. For those saying he’s wrong, no he isn’t. He can make anything he wants and present it to the public. You act like he’s forcing you to subscribe to it. It’s an “consumer option”. People need to get real. Things are provided by vendors. Then the consumer can go shopping and decide if they want it or not. If you don’t like it, fine. If you do, fine. It’s not for you to cry about and what not. Every vendor or company has a right to make whatever they want. If you want a steaming service that has everything you want, then go make it.

 

[bluespark]

You do realise that Apple hires out every single genre in it's iTunes store, including titles that could really be classified as softcore pron?

A little hypocritical, so thank you Tim for trying to be the eyes, ears and censorship guru for all of mankind. Thankfully, there are much better options, on your OWN movie rental store!
[doublepost=1537793554][/doublepost]

You've never browsed Apple OWN iTunes store then, nor movie apps on Apple TV that offer way over 'Mature' content.

You seem to be assuming that Apple intends to force a particular set of values on its users. What it's really doing is saying it wants to apply a particular set of values to its own original programming. There is a huge difference.

 

[truthertech]

I have never understood why Apple is so opposed to mature content? There is no sexual content allowed on the AppStore etc.. Why do they feel the need to censor this content? There is nothing illegal with mature and adult content.

Same goes for various other utilities such as torrentclients? Why are they not allowed? There is nothing illegal or wrong with peer-to-peer transfers and protocols. Why censor the AppStore in such a way? I don't feel the need for such utilities on my phone, but if Apple's goal is to make iOS being the future of computing, meaning that somewhere down the line it should replace my notebooks and desktops they can't continue filtering everything through the AppStore while also playing moral police and censor perfectly legal content just because of some strange reason they feel opposed by the content.

Apple is "censoring" anything. They are just deciding what they sort of content they want to offer as original content. You can watch as much porn, gratuitous violence, extreme gore, gratuitous sex, etc., as you want on the web through any of their devices or operating systems.

So enjoy, i guess, that "mature" content to your heart's content; just don't censor Apple's right to decide what they want to pay people to produce or what they what under their brand name.

 

[neutralguy]

I'm with Apple on this.
Good decision. N
[doublepost=1537787429][/doublepost]
Why does sex and violence equate entertainment?

It does not. Everything has it's own time and place. I always forget with the assumption that if a story demands it, then put it, otherwise don't. However, some violence become more gritty and terrifying if it's left to be imagined by the viewer. I don't know ow what Apple is planning to do. I hope they don't go like kids channel way!

 

[bluecoast]

I like some violent as sexually explicit shows (Game of Thrones) and some family-friendly shows (Modern Family), but what I really don't like is when a show tries to be violent or sexually explicit but is on a channel that doesn't allow it. The trying to be sexy/violent without sex or violence is what I hate.

For example, The Americans would be an otherwise five-star show in my opinion but for all the unnecessary sex scenes where everyone is inexplicably covered up. Nobody just stands up covering themselves with a bedsheet - nobody does that! Doing really unrealistic stuff like that takes me out of the scene - it breaks the story. Plus, there is no point because what they do show is close enough that most parents wouldn't want their kids to see it anyway. Either find a way to tell the same story without the sex scenes if the channel decided that it won't show nudity, or find a place to tell the story that will let the story be authentic.

Agree. I think that GoT was shocking because it was brutally realistic with scenes of sec and violence that were (mostly!) key to the story and tone - and that hadn’t really been shown on a fantasy tv series before.

It also helped that it had a great story, great cast etc.

Nowadays it seems as if there’s a tick box in the the commissioning form that says:

‘Does it have sex and violence like GoT? If not, shoehorn it in somehow’

What was novel is now boring, cheap and lazy.

 

[truthertech]

This might be Apple's USP. The market is already getting a little crowded.

That said, I'm not particularly into a G-rated streaming service.



It doesn't, but pretending that sex and violence aren't part of life isn't very entertaining.

News flash to some of the greatest producers, directors and writers in history: not showing that people being dismembered or that graphic sex scene is "pretending that violence and sex don't exist."

 

[ChrisMoBro]

We're probably not talking about Disney-type content. But even if we were, Disney is a shining example of how a company can achieve commercial success with family-oriented fare. If you don't want to watch Disney shows, fine; others do.

I’m an animator so I freaking love Disney! I also like to see movies and tv shows that don’t just exist to entertain but also explore topics that aren’t PG. Look at some of the best shows, like Breaking Bad and True Detective. I want to see a platform that caters for thought provoking content like that. And plenty of Disney stuff too

 

[niun]

To those who think that this is bad news:

Would The Empire Strikes Back have been better if it had showed Han And Leia having sex?

Or a more gruesome torture scene for Han?

Or maybe a nastier scene when Luke has his... (redacted in case there are still people in the world who haven’t seen this movie!)

It’s really possible to tell great stories and be restrained about what you show and still produce scenes that are funny, touching - and shocking.

Would the bloody hacked off arm in StarWars have been too gratuitous though? How about Vader crushing the guys neck? All of these appear to have to pass the Cook test and he is deciding what is too violent or sexy for the Apple crowd.
So far its been miserable marketing BS and the one show they creamed over in 2013 has been determined to violent (odd that given the subject matter).
For all those that want family friendly programming its out there in abundance. For all those that want something a bit more edgy, they are catered for as well. Apple should just stick to shelling out slightly bigger, slightly thinner, more expensive replicants of the iPhone each year, or dumbing down MacOS to iOS if they want to play safe.

 

[oneMadRssn]

Agree. I think that GoT was shocking because it was brutally realistic with scenes of sec and violence that were (mostly!) key to the story and tone - and that hadn’t really been shown on a fantasy tv series before.

It also helped that it had a great story, great cast etc.

Nowadays it seems as if there’s a tick box in the the commissioning form that says:

‘Does it have sex and violence like GoT? If not, shoehorn it in somehow’

What was novel is now boring, cheap and lazy.

I agree. It's really all about the writing - of course good directing and acting helps a ton. There are ways to tell a great story without using sex and violence. Skillful writing can even tell a good story about sex/violence without depicting sex and violence. As you pointed out though, adding sex and violence where it isn't necessary is either lazy or cheap - neither of which make for good storytelling.

 

[chucker23n1]

News flash to some of the greatest producers, directors and writers in history: not showing that people being dismembered or that graphic sex scene is "pretending that violence and sex don't exist."

Not even remotely what I said.

 

[PastaPrimav]

To those who think that this is bad news:

Would The Empire Strikes Back have been better if it had showed Han And Leia having sex?

Or a more gruesome torture scene for Han?

Or maybe a nastier scene when Luke has his... (redacted in case there are still people in the world who haven’t seen this movie!)

It’s really possible to tell great stories and be restrained about what you show and still produce scenes that are funny, touching - and shocking.

That's the question? No, it isn't.

This is Apple laying out the law before anyone even attempts to make content. Putting the shackles on ahead of any creativity. Why not wait and see what creative content gets made and then approve it based on its own merit, or reject based on your inane policies?

If you celebrate this decision by Apple, you're completely and hopelessly confused.

 

[Heineken]

I assume that 5W charger doesn’t make him blush enough, because that’s criminal, but of course tits on tv is way out of line

 

[chucker23n1]

That's the question? No, it isn't.

This is Apple laying out the law before anyone even attempts to make content. Putting the shackles on ahead of any creativity. Why not wait and see what creative content gets made and then approve it based on its own merit, or reject based on your inane policies?

If you celebrate this decision by Apple, you're completely and hopelessly confused.

You are aware that this refers only to Apple's own streaming service, yes?

This doesn't in any way prevent Netflix, Amazon, and others from streaming other content, just like they're already doing.

 

[bluecoast]

That's the question? No, it isn't.

This is Apple laying out the law before anyone even attempts to make content. Putting the shackles on ahead of any creativity. Why not wait and see what creative content gets made and then approve it based on its own merit, or reject based on your inane policies?

If you celebrate this decision by Apple, you're completely and hopelessly confused.

With all due respect, that’s not how it works.

Every single streaming service or tv channel commissions shows depending on what their commissioning policy is (which is derived from their ‘brand’).

Netflix’s brand is personification (so they say), so you see a wide range of content of that service.

Fox News it’s fair to say is right wing. They’re probably not going to commission Michael Moore to make documentaries for them! So it’s probably a lost cause to ever complain to them that you’d like to see more left wing liberal programming on their channel. It’s not their brand. It’s not what they do.

Apple’s brand is empowerment, creativity, inclusivity and is family friendly. So it’s not surprising that their content is going to reflect those values. Likewise it’s probably not going to be worth it to ask them to produce something like ‘Altered Carbon’ or ‘GoT’.

I think that in 2018 there’s a huge amount of outlets for creative people who can package up and execute an idea, more than ever.

Apple only choosing to commission programming that adheres to its values, doesn’t mean that more edgy things aren’t going to be made - you’ve got HBO and Netflix for that, or you can even self distribute on platforms like Vimeo or YT.

In the end, we all don’t have to pay for Apple’s content, if we don’t agree with their commissioning policies. It’s great to have choice as consumers.

 

[Soccertess]

This is horrible, horrible news. If true, we have a content provider who will be distorting art so that only Disney safe stories will be told.

So tragic! Life isn’t Disney perfect, so why should our stories be?

The worst part, is Apple is going to be buying up good shows with their billions of dollars (that they paid little tax on), and turning them into their safe politically correct versions. God forbid a show actually makes something think!

Disney can go to hell too! They distorted starwars!