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Originally Posted by 709
I honestly think that they don't know what they're doing yet, and are just throwing money at actors and directors hoping they can figure it out in the meantime.
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That’s exactly what they’re doing. They’re very name-driven.
I don’t think Apple knows what Apple TV+ is, yet. They know what they want it to be — a new source of subscription revenue — but I don’t think they know what it is supposed to be like or who it is for. What’s “an Apple TV+ show”? Who is the Apple TV+ viewer? We can look at
Dickinson and say “Oh, they’re making a CW show,” because we all have this idea of what The CW is and what its shows are like and who it is for.
They spent a ton of money making
Vital Signs and then they spiked it for content. Why? Were they somehow shocked that a Dr. Dre show would have sex and drugs? Did they abruptly change their strategy? Neither of those things scenarios inspire confidence.
In a way it reminds me of the early Apple Watch era. Apple knew they wanted to make a watch because they really wanted to have a post-Jobs follow-up to the iPhone, but they didn’t really know how it would fit into people’s lives or why they would want it. If you go back and watch their messaging for that first Watch, it’s clear that they were flailing a little bit. One of the three tentpoles of what the Apple Watch
was was supposed to be a subtle, intimate way to communicate with people by tapping their wrist. The side button — one of two buttons on the device — was entirely devoted to communicating. But nobody cared. It turned out people just wanted a nicer Apple Fitbit. So Apple adjusted the Watch, and their messaging, to be much more health and fitness-focused. They had a newfound clarity that was missing at the beginning.
I think we’re missing that clarity now, with Apple TV+ (and Apple TV, to be honest). It’s clear they’re going for prestige storytelling…but not grown-up storytelling…but they’re not family-focused, either…
It’s okay to cast a wide net. Netflix does. But Netflix didn’t start making everything from game shows to sitcoms to cartoons. Netflix started with
House of Cards and
Orange is the New Black. They started with good grown-up shows. And, of course, a huge library of
non-original content, but that’s neither here nor there. The message was clear: we’re going to be the next HBO.
I wasn’t as bothered by Apple’s March event as many people seem to be. It was definitely an odd event for Apple, but having a press event in the spring where you talk about how great your fall shows are going to be and bring out the stars to say nice things is
super common in television. Apple was just doing their upfronts. What worries me more is the shows themselves. They’ll have to strike an immediate chord with audiences for people to be willing to subscribe for just them.