Apple's Original TV Series Strategy Explained

Last year, we learned that Apple is going to be producing high-level original scripted programming in an effort to compete with Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. The tech company has racked up a handful of shows since that announcement, but they've yet to announce exactly how customers will be able to actually watch those shows. That question is still a mystery, but at South By Southwest, Apple's Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services offered an explanation for their strategy of creating Apple's original TV series.

TechCrunch pointed us to a series of tweets from writer Alex Heath, who was in attendance when Eddie Cue, the aforementioned SVP of Internet Software and Services, spoke to the crowd.

"We're not after quantity, we're after quality," Cue said. That's not much, but from the outside looking in, it actually appears to be more than just a cliche and genuinely representative of Apple's approach. Instead of hurriedly throwing a couple of high-profile projects onto a platform and figuring it out from there, Apple is taking its time and making sure they get things right. Cue compared Apple's approach to how Pixar takes its time making sure every aspect of their animated films has been carefully considered.

It might seem hard to believe, but Apple has enough cash on hand to buy major companies like Disney or Netflix outright. Having either of those companies' infrastructures in place would be a great way for Apple to get its content out into the world, but are they actually interested in spending that kind of money to make such a huge power move in the industry? "Generally, the history of Apple, we haven't made huge acquisitions," Cue said. That's not an outright denial, but it does seem to throw some water on the idea.

When asked about Netflix's expensive spending habits (the streaming service is dropping a cool $8 billion on content this year), Cue didn't seem concerned about Apple's ability to measure up. "We're making big investments," he said. "Money isn't an issue." (Right now, Apple is only slated to be spending about $1 billion a year on original programming.)

For "only" spending a billion a year, Apple certainly has a solid line-up waiting for whenever they decide to launch their original programming. Here's the scripted content they have in the works:

And that's not including unscripted reality programming like Carpool Karaoke, which will also be included on their schedule.

Meanwhile, Cue still didn't explain exactly how potential viewers would be able to watch Apple's original TV series when they become available, but he did mention that some "surprises" are coming for the viewing experience. He also said he thinks "there's a real change coming in the marketplace" in terms of how people get their content, so that may be a hint toward some upcoming announcement about a new way to distribute these shows to audiences. We'll continue to closely monitor this situation and see what they have in store.

Update: An earlier version of this story listed a J.J. Abrams sci-fi series among Apple's upcoming programming, but HBO actually beat out Apple in a bidding war for the show. I apologize for the error.