Apple is working on an unscripted television show that will “spotlight the app economy.” The New York Times reports the Cupertino firm is working with Will.i.am and TV executives Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens on the new series.
“One of the things with the app store that was always great about it was the great ideas that people had to build things and create things,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services, said in an interview.
Details, such as the title, timeline, storylines, financing, or even where viewers will go to view such a series have not been announced. Since Apple is involved, and it’s focused on apps, the show could be made available via an app, streamed via iTunes and Apple TV, or even be made available on regular television.
The concept for the series was conceived by Ben Silverman, executive producer of shows like Jane the Virgin, The Biggest Loser, Marco Polo, and Flaked. Silverman then presented the idea to Apple executives, who apparently liked what they saw. Silverman had worked with Cue nearly ten years ago when he was an executive producer of “The Office,” which was made available on iTunes.
While Eddy Cue says the company thought the series was “perfectly tailored for Apple,” he says it shouldn’t be taken as an indication that the device maker has broader ambitions to expand its presence in original productions such as this.
“This doesn’t mean that we are going into a huge amount of movie production or TV production or anything like that,” Mr. Cue said. He added that the company would continue to explore exclusive projects similar to the series about apps or its push into music programming.
In addition to the “apps” television show, Apple is also producing a television series starring Beats co-founder and current Apple executive, Dr. Dre, entitled “Vital Signs.” That drama will be used to promote the Apple Music streaming service.
(Via MacRumors)
