Apple's no-controversies approach to TV


The Wall Street Journal:

...But in the tone CEO Mr. Cook has set for it, whatever Apple produces mustn’t taint a pristine brand image that has helped the company collect 80% of the profits in the global smartphone market.

Apple’s entertainment team must walk a line few in Hollywood would consider. Since Mr. Cook spiked "Vital Signs," Apple has made clear, say producers and agents, that it wants high-quality shows with stars and broad appeal, but it doesn’t want gratuitous sex, profanity or violence.

We've heard a few of these reports of productions shutting down and Apple execs wanting changes to its in-development original programming. This report pulls a lot of that together an paints a current state for Apple's TV efforts. It seems like Apple is taking the Disney approach where anything carrying its brand needs to enhance its overall brand and tarnish.

I think adult content differentiates programming from broadcast and traditional TV, but what matters is still story and characters. If you look at Game of Thrones, for example, season one had plenty of sexposition that it was infamous for it. That quickly fell away once it found its audience. So, I don't really see this as a problem, although it will make things more difficult for Apple to attract talent and stories when competition is fierce.