Apple wants to keep its original shows PG-rated
The company delays release of its "Carpool Karaoke" series to clean up language, part of an effort to ensure its streaming service content is ok for kids, Bloomberg Businessweek reports.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is pushing to keep original shows it's developing for its streaming service clean to protect the kids, according to a Bloomberg Businessweek report.
Apple isn't interested in producing edgy shows like "Game of Thrones" or "Orange is the New Black," according to a story by Bloomberg Businessweek.
Instead, CEO Tim Cook wants to keep things PG-rated to make sure kids don't get their hands on anything too salacious. Apple wants to make sure the shows it produces have broad appeal, the article says. This means no nudity, raw language and violence, which are staples of much of the original content that's made it big for new entrants like Netflix and cable channels like HBO.
It's this conservative mindset that led the company to delay the release of its much anticipated original series "Carpool Karaoke," which features celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Blake Shelton and Chelsea Handler cracking jokes while driving around Los Angeles. According to the article, Cook ordered that some episodes be re-edited to cut out foul language and references to "vaginal hygiene."
Apple did not respond for comment.
Streaming video is one of many areas where big technology companies are now battling. Amazon, Facebook and Google are also spending big bucks to create original content. And others like Yahoo and Microsoft have also tried their hand at producing original TV shows before pulling back a couple of years ago. For Apple, its TV production is about diversifying its business as iPhone sales slow. The company is looking toward its services business, which includes Apple Music, iTunes and its TV app, to double revenue by 2020 to about $50 billion.