Apple Looking to License More Movies to Expand Apple TV+ Library

Apple is in active talks to license more films from major Hollywood studios as it seeks to bolster Apple TV+, according to Bloomberg.

Apple TV Plus Feature 2 Dark Teal
Apple has traditionally focused on original productions for its streaming platform, but it is increasingly looking to expand its offerings by acquiring programming from the extensive libraries of established studios, sources familiar with the matter claim. While ‌Apple TV‌+ has seen some success with original series such as "Ted Lasso" and "The Morning Show," these hits have been relatively few and far between, and the service has struggled to match the extensive catalogs of competitors like Netflix and Disney+.

‌Apple TV‌+ launched in November 2019, positioning itself as a premium service with a slate of high-quality, original content. Despite receiving critical acclaim and numerous awards, including 72 Emmy nominations this year, ‌Apple TV‌+ has not garnered the same subscriber base as its competitors. According to the research firm MoffettNathanson, only 11% of U.S. households use ‌Apple TV‌+, compared to 55% for Netflix. The limited scope of content available on ‌Apple TV‌+ is apparently seen as a significant factor contributing to its slower growth. Data from Antenna indicates that streaming services with larger content libraries, like Netflix, experience lower cancellation rates.

In an effort to address this, Apple has already begun experimenting with licensing. Earlier this year, the company licensed approximately 50 movies from Hollywood studios for its service in the United States, adding popular titles such as "Mean Girls" and "Titanic" to its catalog. The positive reception to this initial batch of licensed films is said to have encouraged Apple to pursue additional deals. These discussions aim to license even more titles, potentially expanding the service's offerings internationally as well as domestically. Simultaneously, major studios such as Warner Bros., Discovery, and Disney are increasingly open to selling their content to rivals to boost revenue.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

When to Expect the iPhone SE 4 to Launch

Monday August 26, 2024 9:58 am PDT by
Over two and a half years have passed since Apple released the current iPhone SE, so the device is due for an update. Below, we recap the latest rumors about the next-generation iPhone SE, including potential features and launch timing. Timing The latest word comes from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In his Power On newsletter on Sunday, he said he expects the next iPhone SE to launch in the...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Wednesday August 28, 2024 2:45 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
iPhone 16 Pro Sizes Feature

iPhone 16 Likely to Launch on September 20 With These New Features

Monday August 26, 2024 2:56 am PDT by
Apple is likely to launch its new iPhone 16 lineup in stores on Friday, September 20, and the company has Apple already sent out media invites for its iPhone announcement on Monday, with the tagline "It's Glowtime." Apple plans to introduce the iPhone 16 models, along with the next-generation Apple Watch models, as well as new AirPods. iPhone 16: What to Expect The iPhone 16 series is...
maxresdefault

Apple Event Announced for September 9: 'It's Glowtime'

Monday August 26, 2024 9:01 am PDT by
Apple today announced plans to hold its annual iPhone-centric event on Monday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The event is set to start at 10:00 a.m., and select members of the media have been invited to attend. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. This year's event will see Apple unveil the iPhone 16 lineup, new Apple Watch models, and...
iPhone Drivers Licenses in Seventh U

iPhone Driver's Licenses in Wallet App Rolling Out in Seventh U.S. State

Wednesday August 28, 2024 9:41 am PDT by
As noted by 9to5Mac, Apple recently started rolling out the ability for Hawaii residents to add a digital version of their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports, businesses, and venues. Hawaii is the seventh U.S. state to support this feature so far,...
sonny iphone 16 pro colors

All Four iPhone 16 Pro Colors Revealed in New Image

Monday August 19, 2024 4:00 am PDT by
Leaker Sonny Dickson is back today with a new dummy unit image showing all four iPhone 16 Pro color variants, including the rose gold or "bronze" unit that replaces Blue Titanium in the existing iPhone 15 Pro models. The iPhone 16 Pro models are expected to come in black, white or silver, gray or "Natural Titanium," and a rose or rose gold color replacing Blue Titanium, according to Apple...
Apple Watch X Feature

Apple Watch X? September 9 Event Date Marks 10th Anniversary

Tuesday August 27, 2024 4:21 am PDT by
On September 9, 2014, towards the end of Apple's iPhone 6 press event, CEO Tim Cook announced "one more thing," and after a brief video, appeared on stage wearing the first Apple Watch. The date of the original device's unveiling has led some to wonder whether Apple's upcoming iPhone 16 event on Monday, September 9 could see a special tenth anniversary version of the Apple Watch debut. The...

Top Rated Comments

Total Respray Avatar
6 weeks ago
It would be good if they would licence any further content worldwide and not just the US. Especially given we all pay - more or less - the same price.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
anthogag Avatar
6 weeks ago
Licensing older movies and shows that are already on other streaming services just to increase the catalog is boring.

Great shows bring customers to a platform. Apple should spend its money on trying to make or get original hit entertainment.

If they're going to licence movies get the new movies that come to streaming after playing in theatres.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HobeSoundDarryl Avatar
6 weeks ago
Just before and throughout the time that AppleTV+ has existed, multiple major studios with huge libraries have been put up for sale... often with Apple rumored to be among the bidders. Apple never "wins" such auctions if they actually are among those seriously interested.

Putting a little bit of the massive vaults of cash (or the massive Apple debt) to acquire the entire 20th Century Fox library or the entire Warner Library, or MGM, etc would have loaded AppleTV+ with abundant classic content. Apple didn't want to pay for it.

The behemoth Paramount Pictures was available in the last few months, the owner of "a mountain" of desirable content, a big library, franchise favorites, etc. How much did it cost the buyer who did buy it? A little under 3X the Beats acquisition price ('https://finance.yahoo.com/news/done-deal-paramount-global-sells-035601778.html'). Did Apple put some of that cash hoard towards buying that big bundle of content and franchises? No. Were they even rumored to be among the bidders? No. Same story every time.

Same with games. We keep running through this circular cycle of Apple being serious "now" about gaming... but when it comes to laying out the cash to buy various gaming studios to then own AAA game exclusives, Apple is often rumored among the bidders... but never actually buys. Instead, they seem to run a "build it and they will come" approach, where they roll out some interesting hardware but then expect developers to choose the "no money" approach over the "easy money" approach to developing games.

Both are easy uses for the great wells of cash or credit at Apples disposal. Instead they just sit on that cash and/or pile up more debt. Do I expect that to change? No. Apple seems to value third party content about like many of us seem to value it: they/we want the sun & the moon for nothing... but Apple to (somehow) get huge profit anyway.

Before a defender(s) fires back with something like "I'd rather Apple focus on Mac/iDevices/Software than putting money into content library acquisitions," nothing at all stops them from doing BOTH. Instead, they are doing what is apparently short-term group rentals of select content, sort of like a poor-man's Disney Vault approach... with far fewer movies & shows in rotation. You'd think it was 1997 Apple with no spare cash if you didn't know so much better.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iJulio Avatar
6 weeks ago
Makes sense. They've had a decent rotating catalogue of films recently and the streaming quality is top notch. Also, the breadth of titles they've been rotating on the service are fairly decent picks of the most popular Hollywood movies within the last decade or two.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mr Todhunter Avatar
6 weeks ago
Slow Horses series. Better of all the others combined.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NapZzz Avatar
6 weeks ago
If strange things can be watched in  TV+, that will definitely be f**king incredible.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)