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This article titled “Apple ‘made Jeremy Clarkson bid as it plans Netflix-style service'” was written by Jasper Jackson, for theguardian.com on Tuesday 1st September 2015 09.21 UTCApple is reportedly considering a move into creating original TV and film and tried to sign up former Top Gear presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The move would take the company into competition with Netflix and Amazon, which have both invested heavily in original content to attract subscribers to their streaming platforms.
Apple is said to have held preliminary talks with Hollywood executives about helping the company produce long-form content, and is considering a live TV service.
Variety reports that the company was considering setting up development and production divisions next year and hopes to begin recruiting in the near future.
Apple is said to have bid for the services of Clarkson, Hammond and May, but lost out to Amazon, which paid 0m (£160m) for 36 episodes of a motoring show fronted by the stars after Clarkson was dropped by the BBC for punching a producer.
Next week the iPhone maker is expected to unveil a new version of its Apple TV set-top box, which was launched in 2007 but has not seen anywhere near the success of its other products. Netflix, Amazon and Hulu, another TV streaming service, are all central offerings on Apple TV.
It is unclear whether Apple is looking at films or TV series. Netflix and Amazon began their original content efforts in TV, but have begun commissioning feature films. However, Apple already has a track record of buying independent films to distribute via iTunes.
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