CBS CEO Les Moonves says he was approached about a year ago by then Apple CEO Steve Jobs to provide content for Apple’s rumored television service, but he declined.
From the Hollywood Reporter via MacDailyNews:
Moonves told a conference audience that he met with Jobs, the late Apple CEO, and heard a pitch for what was billed as a subscription content service, but ultimately he said he wasn’t interested in providing CBS shows or films to the venture.
“I told Steve, ‘You know more than me about 99 percent of things but I know more about the television business,’ ” Moonves said, citing his concerns about providing content to a service that could disrupt CBS’ existing revenue streams. Moonves said Jobs, in characteristic fashion, strongly disagreed with his assessment.
These comments came during the keynote address at the UCLA Entertainment Symposium. hosted Friday and Saturday by the UCLA law school.
Moonves’ comments strike me as the same types of things record and movie executives said early on in their relationships with Apple. “We know more about how the business works, and what people want, Steve. You just listen to us, we’re always right…”
