Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
DreamWorks Founder Jeffrey Katzenberg Met With Apple About His Mobile-Focused TV Network
Former DreamWorks Animation CEO and founder Jeffrey Katzenberg is working on a new mobile-focused TV service, tentatively named New TV, and has met with Apple executives to discuss a possible investment, reports Variety and CNBC.
Katzenberg was in attendance at this year's Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, along with dozens of other tech and media moguls, including Apple CEO Tim Cook. According to Variety, he was aiming to coax one of several tech companies into a $2B investment in his new project. Katzenberg was seen meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Eddy Cue at the event, and CNBC says he has previously held meetings with Apple, Google, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Snapchat, and Spotify.
Apple CEO Tim Cook at the Sun Valley event last week. Image via Rob Latour, Shutterstock
Given the sheer number of investors Katzenberg is courting, it's not yet clear who he will partner with nor if Apple is interested, but New TV is a unique proposal. Katzenberg wants to create a short-form video series that's produced with primetime TV budgets to target 18 to 34-year-olds.
Katzenberg's goal is not to shrink longer-form media into a shorter format, but to create "new and different" programming that's native to mobile devices. No episode will last longer than 10 minutes, and there will be no ad breaks, with monetization coming via title sponsorships and brand integrations.
New TV will be shaped by whichever partner joins the project, says Katzenberg. It could work as a subscription service offered by a single video provider for a monthly fee, or it could be entirely free and integrated into an existing brand.
Apple has been aggressively pursuing original content in recent months, but in a more traditional format with standard episode lengths. Planet of the Apps, the company's first original show, launched in June, and its second show, Carpool Karaoke: The Series is set to be released on August 8.
Katzenberg was in attendance at this year's Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, along with dozens of other tech and media moguls, including Apple CEO Tim Cook. According to Variety, he was aiming to coax one of several tech companies into a $2B investment in his new project. Katzenberg was seen meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook and Eddy Cue at the event, and CNBC says he has previously held meetings with Apple, Google, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Snapchat, and Spotify.
Given the sheer number of investors Katzenberg is courting, it's not yet clear who he will partner with nor if Apple is interested, but New TV is a unique proposal. Katzenberg wants to create a short-form video series that's produced with primetime TV budgets to target 18 to 34-year-olds.
For example, imagine a drama akin to "Empire" or "Scandal" but shrunk to 10-minute episodes made for mobile consumption. Or a five-minute talk show, or a two-minute newscast -- all with high-profile talent attached.In addition to seeking a distribution partner, Katzenberg is also pursuing potential content partners, with CBS and Disney CEO Bob Iger considering producing shows for the service. "The explosion of short-form video is obvious to all of us, but a lot of what we've seen is the production of amateurs -- user-generated content," Iger told Variety.
Katzenberg's goal is not to shrink longer-form media into a shorter format, but to create "new and different" programming that's native to mobile devices. No episode will last longer than 10 minutes, and there will be no ad breaks, with monetization coming via title sponsorships and brand integrations.
New TV will be shaped by whichever partner joins the project, says Katzenberg. It could work as a subscription service offered by a single video provider for a monthly fee, or it could be entirely free and integrated into an existing brand.
Apple has been aggressively pursuing original content in recent months, but in a more traditional format with standard episode lengths. Planet of the Apps, the company's first original show, launched in June, and its second show, Carpool Karaoke: The Series is set to be released on August 8.
[ 41 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
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27 months ago
To quote the famous Michael Scott, “No! God! Please, no! No, no, noooooooo”
27 months ago
Don’t let eddy anywhere near this. He’d probably get Cook to waste money on it like he did with Beats.
27 months ago
if anything, threshold would be two minutes. if it's shorter than two minutes, i would never bother airplaying to a TV. if it's longer than two minutes and it takes less than 10 seconds to make it appear on a bigger screen, i'd do it. if it's longer than 24 minutes, i'll never watch on a phone.
im not saying content should be two minutes long. im saying there is no difference betwen a 10 minute show and a 24 minute show (typical length of an ad-free tv show). so don't bother with that limit.
let content be as long as it is needs to be to tell a story, otherwise the quality is compromised.
im not saying content should be two minutes long. im saying there is no difference betwen a 10 minute show and a 24 minute show (typical length of an ad-free tv show). so don't bother with that limit.
let content be as long as it is needs to be to tell a story, otherwise the quality is compromised.
27 months ago
"Former DreamWorks Animation CEO and founder Jeffrey Katzenberg"
That should read "cofounder Jeffrey Katzenberg". He, together with Steven Spielberg & David Geffen created Dreamworks back in the 1990s. Hence the name: Dreamworks SKG. Just saying...
That should read "cofounder Jeffrey Katzenberg". He, together with Steven Spielberg & David Geffen created Dreamworks back in the 1990s. Hence the name: Dreamworks SKG. Just saying...
27 months ago
Fun fact. When at NeXT Steve and the head of NeXT Computer Inc VP of Sales demonstrated the NeXTStations for Katzenberg and company at Disney. Katzenberg deliberately humiliated Steve in the meeting in front of top brass.
From that day onward, to his death, my boss Steven P. Jobs loathed the man. He particular took great joy in the merger with Disney and the requirements that the likes of certain key individuals were removed from Disney and never work with Disney, never mind Apple.
Katzenberg should realize that Steve's loyalists won't forget.
From that day onward, to his death, my boss Steven P. Jobs loathed the man. He particular took great joy in the merger with Disney and the requirements that the likes of certain key individuals were removed from Disney and never work with Disney, never mind Apple.
Katzenberg should realize that Steve's loyalists won't forget.
27 months ago
"there will be no ad breaks, with monetization coming via ... brand integrations"
Lovely :-\
Lovely :-\
27 months ago
Apple really missed the boat with podcasts. They should have done what Youtube did. Remember when they actually had tools to make podcasts, publish them...but not monetize them? Just turn on ads, that's all they had to do. But Youtube figured it out and Apple didn't.
Thanks Timmy Cook. Go back and count your money while you still have it.
Thanks Timmy Cook. Go back and count your money while you still have it.
27 months ago
Katzenberg: I have a disruptive mobile TV platform service that will revolutionize…
Cook: (Tapping on Apple Watch to Jony) "Create disruptive mobile TV platform service"
Jony: Working on it.
Katzenberg: …only $2B investment…
Cook: Any more ideas?
Katzenberg: 8(
Cook: (Tapping on Apple Watch to Jony) "Create disruptive mobile TV platform service"
Jony: Working on it.
Katzenberg: …only $2B investment…
Cook: Any more ideas?
Katzenberg: 8(
27 months ago
I think I'd hate something like that. Which is an indicator that it might actually succeed in the market....
27 months ago
Katzenberg is a hack. He has no taste and his sense of humor can be summarized by a swift kick to the balls.
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