With Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and other streaming services clogging up the internet and emptying consumers’ wallets, you would think there’s not much room left for more services to pop up. But yet, in 2019, we are expected to have at least two major streaming launches with the upcoming Disney+ and whatever Apple has cooked up. While we already know a fair bit about the former, the latter service is still, for the most part, a mystery. And despite Apple’s focus on tech and not content creation, judging by the latest behind-the-scenes report, it appears that the tech company is taking a major hands-on approach to its upcoming streaming projects.
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Last September, it was reported that there was tension behind the scenes of some of Apple’s major TV projects, as the tech company made it clear that the streaming service would not be a place for no-holds-barred entertainment. Instead, much like Disney, the tech giant is only interested in providing family-friendly entertainment, without even so much as the slightest bit of controversial material. This strategy was further explained because Apple is planning on giving this content away for free for existing customers. And thus, the company doesn’t want little kids to have easy access to adult material.
But in a New York Post report, citing various unnamed sources working with Apple, it appears the executives at Apple are going above and beyond the simple “family-friendly” guidelines and asking creators to shape their projects in a positive way.
This includes Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly providing his own notes for content creators, with, uh, interesting suggestions. “Tim Cook is giving notes and getting involved,” said a producer. The source goes on to explain that the most common note received from Cook is “don’t be so mean!”
We already covered, in the previous report, that Apple is shying away from any sort of negative talk about religion, race, drugs, and other controversial topics. But the guidelines go a step further, and fans of “Black Mirror” are probably not going to be happy.
“They want a positive view of technology,” the producer said.
While you may be initially shocked at the mandate to only present technology in a positive light, it does make sense, considering Apple is in the business of selling expensive technology. So yeah, not the craziest idea.
But it’s not just the guidelines that are worrying producers and other filmmakers. According to the source, it’s the way that Apple deals with turnover that is a bit worrisome, as well. “They are making big changes, firing and hiring new writers. There’s a lack of clarity on what they want,” the producer said. “A lot of the product is not as good as they hoped it to be.”
As mentioned, we really don’t know what to expect from this streaming service from Apple. We know a fair amount about the shows and partnerships the tech company is working on. But alas, the actual quality of the content, or the sanitization of it, more specifically, is still to be determined. Guess we’ll have to wait a while longer to find out what film and TV fans can truly expect, when Apple finally unveils the service at some point later this year.
