Remember when Apple bought the rights to James Corden’s annoyingly popular Carpool Karaoke and announced plans to turn it into a half-hour show earlier this month? Well the tech giant isn’t just dabbling.

According to Wall Street Journal sources, Apple is planning film and TV programming which would pit it directly against Netflix and HBO.

Set to arrive by the end of 2017, the original programming would reportedly be included in subscriptions for Apple Music. Currently the platform charges around 20 million subscribers AU$11.99/month for an individual plan.

WSJ, which cites sources with “knowledge of the discussions”, said Apple is talking to “veteran producers” about buying rights to scripted TV programs.

Apple is going in guns blazing. According to WSJ, it’s also in hiring talks with marketing executives at studios and networks.

In retrospect, we really should have seen this coming back in September when Apple hired artist development and marketing exec Scott Seviour. Seviour previously held roles at Epic Records, RCA and ABC News, and his own The Seviour Company makes original content.

Apple really needs a Hollywood approach to its ventures right now. Sales of hardware like iPhones and iPads have either fallen or plateaued over the past year. But revenue from its Services category, which includes things like Apple Music, the App Store and iCloud, have been skyrocketing over the past few quarters. During the holiday break alone, customers broke the App Store’s all-time records with sales over US$3 billion in December.

With Seviour on board, and with a reported plan to take on scripted TV first, we predict Apple’s previous dip into music-related nonfiction and documentaries (like Dr. Dre’s Vital Signs) will pale in comparison

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