While details about Apple’s original content plans are still largely unknown, the news that it signed a deal with the independent studio A24 has made some waves. The Hollywood Reporter says that deal in addition to industry giant Paramount Pictures making a multi-picture pact with Netflix shows just how much the entertainment industry is changing.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that while studios like Disney and Warner Bros. are steering clear of Netflix, Paramount Pictures has this month partnered up with the streaming service.
THR says that deal and Apple’s news about partnering with A24 who produced popular films like Lady Bird, Moonlight, Eighth Grade, and more are signals about the big changes happening in the entertainment industry.
The report mentions that these agreements also allow studios to produce content that might not be a good fit for “theatrical release.”
It’s still unclear exactly how Apple will make its original content available, but the company has said that its new shows could launch as soon as March 2019. The deal with A24 is said to include both TV shows and films and has been interpreted by USB professor, Jason Squire, as a statement about the type of content they’re committing to.
It seems like Netflix may have a big lead in the original content space over Apple for now. However, at least one analyst thinks Apple could seriously compete with Netflix by 2025 and generate $4 billion in revenue with its original content.
