Apple “met with representatives of MGM and the Pac-12 Conference” in an effort to boost content on Apple TV and Apple TV+, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Journal said the talks were “preliminary and have yet to reach an advanced stage,” but demonstrated “Apple’s openness to striking a multibillion-dollar content agreement in support of its TV service.”
The Journal noted that a deal with MGM would give Apple rights to “James Bond and ‘Silence of the Lambs,’ as well as TV shows such as ‘Fargo’ and ‘The Addams Family.’” While a rights package with the Pac-12 Conference would include “the Pac-12 Networks and all marquee football, basketball and live sports programming that is fully available in 2024” and would be valued up to $5 billion.
Apple TV+ launched on Nov. 1 with a $6 billion budget slated for content with Apple promising that their service would best their competitors, including Amazon, Hulu and Netflix who already have stable market share.
But Apple TV+ was quickly overshadowed by Disney+, which launched on Nov. 12 and immediately became a hit. The streaming service was downloaded 3.2 million times to mobile devices and garnered 1.3 million hours of viewership in its first 24 hours, according to Apptopia.