Apple’s original series The Morning Show has yet to air a single episode and already, the show has made television history.
Apple TV+, the upcoming streaming service, is reportedly spending more money to produce a single episode of the morning news drama than HBO did for episodes during the epic final season of Game of Thrones.
That’s more than $15 million per episode.
The latest estimate of Cupertino’s lavish spending on original content in the highly competitive television streaming business comes today from Financial Times, which claims Apple’s growing budget for programming reaches as high as $6 billion overall.
Good TV doesn’t come cheap. Apple’s willingness to spend big on A-list stars and award-winning writers and directors proves it’s ready to battle for viewers. When Apple TV+ launches this fall, it will face well-established rival Netflix as well as a new streaming service from Disney.
Apple views subscription services like Apple TV+ as a natural way to grow revenues as iPhone sales slow.
Apple’s The Morning Show
https://youtu.be/eA7D4_qU9jo
The Morning Show stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, each reportedly taking home $1.25 million per episode. Golden Globe winner Steve Carell also plays a key role in the drama. There’s no word on his salary demands, but it’s safe to say he will make decent scratch.
The fictional series goes behind the scenes of a cutthroat morning talk show. As the Financial Times reports, the stars of Game of Thrones earned about $500,000, with a huge chunk of the show’s budget going toward special effects.
Apple TV+ reportedly will charge subscribers about $10 per month when it debuts this fall with five new shows.
Source: Quartz