Egypt to launch EGTAP.com online platform to train tourism workforce: minister    Singapore's economy grows in Q2 '25    Gold prices dip slightly on Monday trading    Pakistan names Qatari royal as brand ambassador after 'Killer Mountain' climb    EU prepared to retaliate with €21b tariff package – Italy's FM    Al-Sisi reaffirms Egypt's commitment to African security, development at AU Mid-Year Summit    Dozens of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire near Gaza aid site    Health Ministry denies claims of meningitis-related deaths among siblings    Egypt's Contact insurance arms, Germany's GIZ partner on SMEs, gender equity    Egypt and Italy mark 50 years of science partnership, discuss future cooperation    Egypt establishes Real Estate Market Regulation Unit to oversee sector transparency    Egypt's Health Min. discusses drug localisation with Sandoz    Egypt, Mexico discuss environmental cooperation, combating desertification    Needle-spiking attacks in France prompt government warning, public fear    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Egypt's EDA, Haleon discuss local market support    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger    Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt's GAH, Spain's Konecta discuss digital health partnership    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Apple to give away original content for free to device owners as part of new digital TV strategy
Published in Amwal Al Ghad on 11 - 10 - 2018

Seven years ago, Walter Isaacson wrote that Apple founder Steve Jobs told him he'd “cracked” the code on bringing television into the digital age.
Seven years later, the world is still waiting. But Apple's not giving up, even if it isn't revolutionizing the industry.
Apple is preparing a new digital video service that will marry original content and subscription services from legacy media companies, according to people familiar with the matter. Owners of Apple devices, such as the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV will find the still-in-the-works service in the pre-installed “TV” application, said the people, who asked not to be named because the details of the project are private.
The product will include Apple-owned content, which will be free to Apple device owners, and subscription “channels,” which will allow customers to sign up for online-only services, such as those from HBO and Starz.
Apple plans to debut the revamped app early next year, the people said. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
As Bloomberg reported in May, the subscription channels will essentially copy Amazon's Prime Video Channel subscriptions. Customers will be able to access all of their content from within the TV app so they won't need to download individual apps from multiple media providers.
Apple is spending about $1 billion on original content this year, targeting “PG-rated” shows that appeal to wide audiences and won't get the company in trouble by making them available for free to owners of all devices, said the people.
Apple is also looking for “tent pole” franchises that could serve as linchpins to a paid Netflix-like subscription service down the road, two of the people said. Think “Game of Thrones,” but without the sex and violence. The Wall Street Journal reported last month Apple has about 24 original shows in production and development.
Media companies are wary
Finding those types of shows — wholesome series that can also have widespread appeal — won't be easy.
Apple has long struggled to reach deals with large media companies, which have been hesitant to hand over direct consumer relationships to the tech giant. The collapse of the music industry, which some media executives blamed partly on Apple's industry-defining 99-cent price for single songs, has hampered Apple's attempt to push forward cable TV to a more consumer-friendly product.
Apple's current software and services chief, Eddy Cue, in particular, earned a starring role in Apple's push toward selling individual songs, which helped kill album sales and ushered in the era of streaming music. As a result, media executives have been reluctant to let Cue and CEO Tim Cook access their prized video content to repackage it in ways that could disintermediate the lucrative cable bundle.
This time, Apple is counting on someone who knows legacy media companies to lead the charge. Peter Stern, who joined Apple in 2016, has been tasked with striking contracts with media companies to put together the service, said people familiar with the matter. Stern, who reports to Cue, was Time Warner Cable's chief strategy officer.
He eventually helped sell the company — first to Comcast (a deal that got blocked by regulators) and then to Charter. He left in 2016 after Charter's takeover closed.
Coming from the cable TV industry may help Stern hammer out deals that will give Apple's TV service top content while not scaring off executives who still fear Apple's control over the industry.
Apple is also trying to persuade executives of print media companies to join Texture, the company's digital magazine product that it acquired earlier this year. Stern is also in charge of acquiring content for this effort and has had some difficulty persuading news organisations to give Apple control of the subscriber billing relationship, according to people familiar with the matter.
Source: CNBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.