By Emma Nitzsche
Apple Inc. is looking to lease a large production campus in Los Angeles to film shows and movies for AppleTV+. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the tech giant intends to create new AppleTV+ content, including brand new shows and movies.
The move to occupy more space in Hollywood reinforces Apple’s commitment to entertainment for its viewers. The new campus is expected to exceed half a million square feet, and Apple told development executives it is looking at several possible locations. The company currently leases soundstages to film in the Los Angeles area and other parts of the world.
Many of Los Angeles’s available spaces for production are booked for months in advance as studios are expecting to produce more shows and movies this year. Companies book spaces for themselves directly or lock-in locations with leases that reserve the spot for years at a time. With a shortage of space, Apple has not set a square footage target.
AppleTV+ launched in 2019 and streamed a couple of well-known shows and movies. Despite gaining significant views for hits like “Ted Lasso” with Jason Sudeikis and “the Morning Show” with Jennifer Anniston and Reese Witherspoon, AppleTV+ has failed to reach the level of success achieved by rivals like Netflix or Amazon. Apple’s shows are relatively well-regarded, but the corporation hopes to push its industry to a larger scale.
With the new expansion plans, Apple hopes to give its competitors a run for their money. A subscription to AppleTV+ is currently $4.99 a month, while Netflix subscriptions cost $8.99 for the basic plan.
Many viewers are looking forward to the next bundle of shows as Apple’s productions have won awards and award nominations. This year, Apple announced several big-name projects, including Martin Scorsese’s Western film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” which will star Leonardo DiCaprio.
Apple hired Mike Mossallam in January, a lead prediction real-estate executive. It is expected that Mossallam will push Apple to occupy several soundstages in L.A. and look to purchase other sound stages in other parts of the country. He has previous experience working as Netflix’s director of production planning and studio leasing. Apple hopes that with his guidance, it can expand its production footprint in Los Angeles and the world.
