Apple Reportedly Planning to Release Movies in Theaters and Increase Spend to $1 Billion Per Year

Apple plans to increase its spend on movies for Apple TV+ to $1 billion annually, as well as release them in theaters globally, Bloomberg reports.


The ‌Apple TV+‌ movies "CODA" and "Cherry" debuted in select theaters for a few weeks in 2021, but Apple apparently plans to instigate broader, more conventional theatrical releases in the future, facilitated by bigger movie budgets. The move is designed to raise the profile of ‌Apple TV+‌ in Hollywood, attract subscribers, and create "cultural events."

Apple is believed to have already approached several third-party distributors about collaborating to release ‌Apple TV+‌ titles in theaters this year, including Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," Matthew Vaughn's "Argylle," and Ridley Scott's "Napoleon." The movies are expected to be in theaters around the world for at least a month. Apple is purportedly looking to third-party studios owing to its lack of expertise in movie distribution across thousands of cinemas worldwide, but it has concerns around the hefty fees and marketing budgets that such partners would demand.
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Bloomberg: Apple Considering Bid for English Premier League Streaming Rights in the UK

Apple is considering a bid for the rights to stream the English Premier League in the United Kingdom, among other lower league matches run by the English Football League, according to a Bloomberg report citing "people familiar with the situation."


From the report:

The rights under consideration would allow Apple to show Premier League games in the UK, as well as lower league matches run by the English Football League, said two of the people, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private.

If Apple went ahead with the plan, it would become the fourth major player in contention to purchase domestic broadcasting rights for top-flight soccer (or football, as it's called outside North America).

That would likely see a marked increase in the current £5.1 billion ($6.23 billion) valuation for domestic EPL rights, which operates on a three-year renewal cycle. Tender rights are currently being reviewed, with existing rights for the current three-year period set to expire in 2025.

Recent years have seen bidding wars play out between Sky Sports, BT Sport, and Amazon Prime Video, with Sky Sports often being the dominant player, although Amazon has been increasingly wielding its bidding power in recent years. Packaging terms ensure that no one broadcaster gains rights to all English Premier League matches, so any Apple deal for EPL broadcasting rights would necessarily fall short of the exclusivity deal the company successfully negotiated with MLS.

Apple has been pursuing sports content in an effort to attract new viewers to the Apple TV+ streaming service. The company has signed deals with Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer, which is currently available on ‌Apple TV+‌ via an MLS Season Pass priced at $14.99 per month or $99 per season. Apple has also reportedly expressed interest in acquiring an NBA streaming package.

‌Apple TV+‌ is also the home of hit sports comedy drama "Ted Lasso," in which an American college football coach is hired to coach an English soccer team.
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Apple Wins Oscar for 'The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse'

Apple and the BBC have won an animated short Oscar for "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and, the Horse," a magical fable by writer and artist Charlie Mackesy.


Winning at the 95th Academy Awards over the weekend, the film follows the dreamlike friendship of a boy, a mole, a fox and a horse traveling together in the boy's search for home. It stars Tom Hollander as The Mole, Idris Elba as The Fox, Gabriel Byrne as The Horse, and Jude Coward Nicoll as The Boy.

Apple Original Films acquired the production last year and it debuted on Apple TV+ and the BBC on Christmas Day, 2022.

Apple CEO Tim Cook congratulated the team involved in making "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse" in a tweet, adding "Your beautiful short tells an enduring story about the meaning of kindness, acceptance and hope."

The Oscar is Apple's first for an animated short. It was Apple's only win at this year's Oscars, with Apple receiving one other nomination, for Brian Tyree Henry for supporting actor in Apple TV+ drama "Causeway."


At the 2022 Oscars, Apple became the first streaming service to win the best picture prize for "CODA," in addition to wins for Troy Kotsur for supporting actor and director Siân Seder for adapted screenplay.
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Apple Seeds Third Beta of tvOS 16.4 to Developers

Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 16.4 update to developers for testing purposes, with the beta coming a week after the launch of the second tvOS 16.4 beta.


Registered developers are able to download the tvOS 16.4 update by downloading a profile on the Apple TV using Xcode.

tvOS updates are usually minor, focusing on internal bug fixes and improvements rather than notable outward-facing changes. There is no word as of yet what's included in the tvOS 16.4 update, but we'll update this article if we find anything new.

Apple shares some information on tvOS releases in its tvOS support document, which is updated after each tvOS launch.

Though we don't often know what's new in tvOS during the beta testing process, we let MacRumors readers know when new updates are available so those who are developers can download it upon release.
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From "Morning Show" to "Hello Tomorrow!" Billy Crudup reveals what his antiheroes are really selling

"He's a preacher for capitalism": Crudup tells "Salon Talks" about his new TV role, his dad and the American dream

Apple TV+ Thriller Film 'Tetris' Recounts 'Unbelievable Story' Behind Video Game: Watch the Trailer Now

Apple this week released the trailer for its upcoming thriller film "Tetris," inspired by the true story of how the video game became a worldwide sensation. The film will be available to stream on Apple TV+ around the world starting March 31.


"Tetris" stars Taron Egerton as Henk Rogers, who traveled to the Soviet Union in 1989 and resolved a rights dispute that ultimately led to Nintendo licensing Tetris for the Game Boy console and the game becoming a smash hit globally.

"Based on a true story, 'Tetris' is a Cold War–era thriller on steroids, with double-crossing villains, unlikely heroes and a nail-biting race to the finish," said Apple. The film is directed by Jon S. Baird based on a script written by Noah Pink.

Apple TV+ costs $6.99 per month or $69 annually following a price increase last year. The streaming service is available in the Apple TV app across several devices and platforms, including but not limited to the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV box, PS5, Xbox Series X, Roku and Amazon Fire TV streaming sticks, and select smart TVs from LG, Samsung, Sony, and Vizio. Apple TV+ content can also be streamed on the web at tv.apple.com.
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Apple Says iCloud Terms Can Be Accepted on Web After Viral Tweet

Apple today shared a new support document explaining how to accept iCloud terms and conditions for an Apple TV without owning an iPhone or iPad.


Apple says customers who do not have an iPhone running iOS 16 or later or an iPad running iPadOS 16 or later can accept the new terms and conditions on the iCloud.com website. The support document outlines the steps to take:

1. Go to iCloud.com, then sign in with your Apple ID.
2. If necessary, follow the prompts to review and update your account settings.
3. Review and agree to iCloud Terms and Conditions.

Last month, a Google employee named Chris Koch said he was unable to accept the new iCloud terms and conditions since he did not own an iPhone, iPad, or any other Apple device. He noted that he tried signing into iCloud.com at the time, but said he was not prompted to accept any new terms and conditions on the website.



While it's a simple workaround, Apple evidently felt this issue was worth addressing in a support document after Koch's tweet received nearly one million views. In a follow-up tweet, Koch said signing out of his Apple ID account under Settings → Users and Accounts → [Name] → iCloud and then signing back in led him to be prompted to accept the new iCloud terms and conditions directly on his Apple TV, with no other device needed.
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Queer icons 'Frog and Toad' headed to Apple TV+ this spring

A new animated series starring beloved kidlit characters "Frog and Toad" is headed to Apple TV+, premiering Friday, April 28. Them is reporting that "gay Twitter" is lauding the adaptation of Arnold Lobel's Caldecott and Newbery Award-winning children's book for its "queer subtext," calling the amphibious friends "one of the internet's favorite queer relationships." — Read the rest

The therapeutic benefits of "Shrinking" is not necessarily in its shaky depiction of counseling

Jason Segel and Harrison Ford's comedy, from the "Ted Lasso" team, explores a therapist who's hit at rock bottom

Eugene Levy steps out of his comfort zone in The Reluctant Traveler

Well here's something I didn't know I needed in my life that I now need in my life. A new series is coming to Apple TV+ where the infamously indoorsy Eugene Levy is sent on wild adventures around the world. This is a guy who hates to even get his hair wet. — Read the rest

7 new shows worth looking out for, from "Fatal Attraction" to "American Born Chinese"

With so many new dramas and comedies crowding the schedule, a few lookers stood out at the recent Winter TCA tour

Trailer: Hello Tomorrow! is the show retro-futurism fans have been waiting for

Science fiction has so many wonderful subgenres. If you want your dystopian fiction to hit harder than usual, why don't you try the cyberpunk subgenre? Or what if you want a little fantasy in your sci-fi, Star Wars hears your request and is ready to offer one of the most popular franchises in film history. — Read the rest

Timothée Chalamet Wants to Star on Apple TV+ in New Ad for Streaming Service

Apple today shared a new "Call Me" ad in which actor Timothée Chalamet expresses his desire to star in an Apple TV+ show or movie. Chalamet has yet to make an appearance in any of Apple's original content, but the ad's release suggests that might change soon.


"Apple TV+ has almost all the biggest stars in Hollywood," says Apple, in the video's description on YouTube. "Almost. Timothée Chalamet wants in."

Last year, a similar ad was released in which actor Jon Hamm acts jealous about not appearing in any Apple TV+ content. Hamm joined the cast of the hit Apple TV+ drama series "The Morning Show" for its third season, which should be released later this year, so the ad ultimately foreshadowed his upcoming debut on the streaming service.

Apple TV+ now costs $6.99 per month after a price increase last year.
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Apple TV App Experiencing Outage [Updated: Fixed]

The Apple TV app, the Apple TV+ streaming service, and the ‌Apple TV‌ channels feature appear to be experiencing an outage at this time, with Apple's System Status page reflecting an issue that began at 5:13 p.m. Pacific Time.


The TV app on the ‌Apple TV‌ and on iOS devices is not functioning properly, and for some users, is showing no content except for TV shows and movies that have been purchased and are available in the Library.

Update: Apple's System Status page indicates the ‌Apple TV+‌ outage has been resolved.
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Apple Reportedly Planning Bid for English Premier League Streaming Rights

Apple is preparing a bid for the rights to stream the English Premier League in the United Kingdom, reports The Daily Mail.


Without citing its sources, the British tabloid claims that the tech giant is keen to increase its sports coverage by building on the decade-long contract it recently secured to exclusively stream Major League Soccer on Apple TV+ beginning next month.

If the report is accurate, Apple would become the fourth major player in contention to purchase domestic broadcasting rights for top-flight soccer (or football, as it's more commonly called in the UK).

That would likely see a marked increase in the current £5.1 billion ($6.23 billion) valuation for domestic EPL rights, which operates on a three-year renewal cycle. Tender rights are to be renewed later this year, with existing rights for the current three-year period set to expire in 2025.

Recent years have seen bidding wars play out between Sky Sports, BT Sport, and Amazon Prime Video, with Sky Sports often being the dominant player. However, packaging terms ensure that no one broadcaster gains rights to all English Premier League matches, therefore any Apple deal for EPL broadcasting rights would necessarily fall short of the exclusivity deal the company successfully negotiated with MLS.

In related news, ‌Apple TV+‌ on Sunday premiered "Super League: The War for Football," a docuseries charting the ill-fated proposal for a breakaway European league pitting the sport's elite clubs against each other.
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