Apple's 'Planet of the Apps' Television Show Launches Tonight

Apple's first original television series, Planet of the Apps, will premiere tonight, according to Reuters. The show, which was screened earlier today at the Worldwide Developers Conference, is set to premiere at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Apple Music. Apple will also make the first episode free on iTunes and the Planet of the Apps website.

Produced by Ben Silverman, Howard Owens, and will.i.am, Planet of the Apps is an unscripted television show about apps and the developers who make them. The show is similar to other television shows like The Voice and Shark Tank, in that it features developers pitching their app ideas for a chance to be mentored by influencers and entrepreneurs like Gary Vaynerchuk, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Jessica Alba.

The advisors help chosen contestants build their apps and prepare them to ask for funding from participating VC company Lightspeed Venture Partners. In an interview with Reuters, iTunes chief Eddy Cue says Planet of the Apps answers the question of how to take an idea to a finished product.

"The question when you have ideas is how to take those to fruition," Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, said in an interview. "Sometimes you may not know how, you might be afraid of what's involved. This really shows how that's possible."

Filming for Planet of the Apps show began towards the end of 2016 and wrapped up in February. Most of the filming took place on an Apple-built set near Hollywood.

According to Reuters, the first two episodes feature developers presenting apps for online shopping, campus safety, and a school backpack, which will be featured in the App Store following the conclusion of each episode. Developers who are able to make it to the final round of the show will receive up to $10 million in funding.

Apple plans to heavily promote Planet of the Apps, with Cue saying "All of our customers are going to be exposed to this in one way or another." The show will be followed by Carpool Karaoke: The Series, another Apple-owned original series that is set to launch on August 8.