Apple TV+ exploring licensing movies to other streamers for the first time
The move could be the first step in a bigger evolution for Apple TV+, which now has a corporate mandate to make more money.
How much would you pay to watch an original movie from Apple TV+ without paying for a subscription to that service? Customers in some areas around the world may soon have to ponder that question. A new report from Bloomberg indicates that Apple TV+ is thinking about licensing its movies in some countries around the world, allowing them to be rented or purchased through third-party outlets for the first time.
Key Details:
- Apple is looking to boost revenues from its streamer by increasing the distribution of its movies.
- Original TV shows from Apple TV+ aren’t being considered for licensing yet.
- The service has a mandate to cut costs and increase revenue, which could lead to other changes.
Apple isn’t considering doing any licensing in the United States at this time, but in other territories, it is seriously thinking about allowing third-party services like Prime Video to offer its original movies for sale or rent. The company hired former Disney and Comcast executive Maria Ines Rodriguez to help seek out new content distribution outlets.
The company is not currently contemplating licensing its TV shows either in the United States or elsewhere — yet. That reticence could change if the company sees good results from its plan to potentially begin licensing its movies internationally, or continued headwinds to make its streaming service profitable.
The streamer is under a corporate mandate to bring in more revenue and cut costs. Apple TV+ is well known for the almost exclusively original lineup of shows and movies in its catalog, which are expensive to create, especially given the A-list stars that the streamer likes to pack into its projects. Word circulated earlier this year that the service was looking to dramatically reduce the amount it spends on new shows and movies, given how difficult it has been for the platform to gain widespread traction.
The company has also discussed the possibility of licensing a large selection of movies from other studios for a more permanent stay on Apple TV+. That could help it boost engagement from the customers it already has, giving them more incentive to stay subscribed while they wait for the new season of the prestige TV show that they came to Apple TV+ for in the first place.
Apple TV+ also launched on Prime Video in the United States earlier this fall, a move that the company hopes will help boost distribution of the service and net it new subscribers. For a long time, the prevailing wisdom surrounding Apple TV+ was that it did not matter as much to Apple if the streamer was profitable or not, given how much revenue it brings in from its high-end tech devices. Now, that philosophy appears to be undergoing a major shift, and the platform’s executives are responding in kind.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is a subscription video streaming service for $9.99 a month that includes high-quality original shows and movies including Best Picture winner “CODA,” popular sitcom “Ted Lasso,” and dramas like “The Morning Show” and “Severance.” Apple TV+ is also home to MLB baseball games on Friday nights and MLS Season Pass. Apple TV+ can be added as a channel on Prime Video.