Apple poaches top Sony TV executives to boost video content
Apple Inc has hired two long-time Sony Pictures Television executives to expand the iPhone maker's push into original television programming, plunging deeper into a field crowded by Hollywood studios and online streaming services.
Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg, responsible for hit shows such as "Breaking Bad," "Better Call Saul" and "The Crown," will join Apple in newly created positions to oversee all aspects of video programming, the technology company said in a statement on Friday.
"Jamie and Zack are two of the most talented TV executives in the world and have been instrumental in making this the golden age of television," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.
"There is much more to come," Cue said of Apple's video effort. The new hires demonstrate a serious commitment by another deep-pocketed technology company to produce quality television shows. Erlicht and Van Amburg have served as senior Sony television executives since 2005.
But Apple did not elaborate on its strategy, leaving investors guessing how many shows it plans to distribute, how much it will spend and where the programming will be available.
The company is playing in an increasingly competitive field. Amazon.com Inc and Netflix Inc have invested billions of dollars in award-winning comedies and dramas featuring A-list Hollywood stars. And social media company Facebook Inc has signed deals with millennial-focused news and entertainment creators, including Vox and BuzzFeed, to make shows for its upcoming video service.
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