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A New Report Outlines Apple's Reluctance For Mature Content On Its Streaming Service (theverge.com)
A new report from The Wall Street Journal details the state of Apple's yet-to-be-unveiled streaming service. "It highlights some of the difficulties Apple has faced in striking the right tone for its content, particularly when it comes to 'gratuitous sex, profanity or violence,' and cites sources who expect the launch of the streaming service to be pushed further back," reports The Verge. From the report: The report opens with Apple CEO Tim Cook's reaction to Vital Signs, a show based on the life of Dr. Dre. Apple picked up the show back in 2016, but when Cook viewed it a year ago, he told Apple Music executive Jimmy Iovine that it was too violent, and that the company can't show it. Apple has some big plans for its original content ambitions. It brought in two seasoned Hollywood executives to oversee its video streaming project, and invested $1 billion to develop new a slate of new projects. Judging from those acquisitions, the company is swinging for the fences it's picked up a reboot of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories, a space show from Battlestar Galactica's Ron Moore, a network drama starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, a show based on Isaac Asimov's Foundation series, and more.
The WSJ report notes that Apple's preference is for family-friendly projects that appeal to a broad audience, and that it's trying to avoid weighing into overly political or controversial territory with the content that it's producing -- only a handful of those shows "veer into 'TV-MA' territory." Apple's approach doesn't come as a huge surprise: it's been described as "conservative and picky." The company has long forbidden adult content from its App Store, rigorously removing Apps that even display NSFW content, like Vine or 500px. TV executives note in the report that where streaming services can simply weather a boycott or lose some subscribers, alienating audiences could prompt viewers to boycott Apple's hardware.
The WSJ report notes that Apple's preference is for family-friendly projects that appeal to a broad audience, and that it's trying to avoid weighing into overly political or controversial territory with the content that it's producing -- only a handful of those shows "veer into 'TV-MA' territory." Apple's approach doesn't come as a huge surprise: it's been described as "conservative and picky." The company has long forbidden adult content from its App Store, rigorously removing Apps that even display NSFW content, like Vine or 500px. TV executives note in the report that where streaming services can simply weather a boycott or lose some subscribers, alienating audiences could prompt viewers to boycott Apple's hardware.
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a space show from Battlestar Galactica's Ron Moore
From TFA, I don't care about anything other than this part. There just aren't enough space shows around these days, and I loved the new BSG. If they can set the tone of BSG season 1 I will watch it til the end of days.
I just hope they don't get lost in pointless side-stories without purpose that never wrap up like BSG eventually did.
As for the rest, I don't /. is the intended audience for Reese Witherspoon or Dr. Dre, but Asimov's Foundation has me mildly optimistic.
There's a lot of value to be had from stuff that would qualify for network TV without being inflammatory and political to seem edgy.
Why would anyone be surprised? This is APPLE. A company that has done quite well being a hand holding, app curating, experience controlling nanny to millions of people. Why would they change?
Steam's getting in to the steamier content. Apple could be late to the party in that regard if they don't cut the prudishness and setup a system that keeps the kids safe and entertains the adults who don't have a stick up their backside when it comes to sexuality.
I doubt apple is shooting for the full Disney G rating but it seems like differentiating your brand by doing something hard is valuable and apple knows it. They can always sell edgier stuff on non-apple brands on itunes. nothing is lost to the consumer but something is gained.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
If you are going to run a streaming service, I'd say the bar for morality has to be set by Disney - and they are running way worse stuff that what Apple is balking at.
If Apple wants a successful video streaming service, they can't just all be hour long videos of Ive talking slowly about aluminum. Otherwise they'll end up being worse even than Prime Video (I joke but actually Prime video is slowly getting better, just Netflix is still 10x ahead in good show development).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Sure, maybe the first page of their streaming service shouldn't promote extremely violent or pornographic movies, but why the hell would not include something at all because of those criterias?
Just add a "parental control" feature which hides it for kids and let the adults see whatever they desire, that wasn't too complex now was it?
That is the question.
Captcha: grinding
Is it cool to be a prude? Or will this control diminish their brand as vanilla and bland? Could this be the beginning of the end for Apple's popularity?
I know what people mean by it, but I still find it amusing that gratuitous sex and violence in media is called "mature".
That'll be the day!
Are you done with your autism tantrum little boy
The as-yet-untitled movie about a hacker breaking into the network of a classified installation was not going to be streamed on AppleTV because the protagonist was using a Microsoft Surface laptop to perform his evil deed.
... is the really fucked-up part of that.
You know ... Murder, torture, inquisition, brutality, assault, war, self-mutilation, suicide, terror, ... the loving and immensely fun act of making children or acting as if, that is literally essential to human survival.
Hmm ... Which one of those does not belong? Any idea? :P
How this even flies, outside of the IS, Vatican and Israel (You know, Abrahamic "God" states.) ...is horrifying.
Anyone who treats sex like this, is the same type of person as a IS terrorist. Just in a nicer environment.
Is Apple bending them over with high prices, shoddy build quality, and class-action-lawsuit-based customer service.
It's a beautiful movie. Apple should be shamed if they banned it.
show based on Isaac Asimov's Foundation series
But by the gods, Golan Trevize is going to lose his colorful belts and is not going to have his manliness tested on an icy planet by a particularly strong female official.
Remember the format war between VHS and BETAMAX? One had better quality players, better resolution, smaller tapes for more storage. The other had porn allowed on it. Which one survived?
if apple doesn't want what dr dre is pushing, why do they associate with him at all? his whole career is selling immorality set to a beat - they knew what they were getting - why not cut ties with him?
enough said.
Apple is a friend without benefits.
... the missed opportunities for Apple. 50% of Apple is a premium fashion brand. They would be very stupid to spoil that with lowlife loser content. Their phones are sexy. People who use their phones are sexy (at least that's what they need to think). Their stuff needs to be sexy, in order to justify the 50% premium on their price.
Cook and Co. couldn't care less about a few bucks extra from pr0nhub deluxe. It would probably hurt their market cap on a global scale.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
... the missed opportunities for Apple. 50% of Apple is a premium fashion brand. They would be very stupid to spoil that with lowlife loser masturbation content. Their phones are sexy. People who use their phones are sexy and can get laid for real anytime (at least that's what they need to think). Their stuff needs to be sexy, in order to justify the 50% premium on their price. Pr0n does not fit into that picture.
Cook and Co. couldn't care less about a few bucks extra from pr0nhub deluxe. It would probably even hurt their market cap on a global scale.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Censorship is the single biggest reason I want to see Apple out of business.
I'm okay with categorizing content. Once I was web surfing and ended up on some art website, I don't remember which one. I thought to myself, "I'm an adult, I'll turn off the content filter." On the first page or two of the unfiltered browsing was a drawing of Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin doing things they didn't do in the books. I don't want to stop anybody from seeing that if that's what they're looking for, but it was absolutely not what I was looking for.
They allow HBO despite some level of sex and violence in Game of Thrones. But HBO makes lots of subscription money for apple so it's ok