Apple CEO Tim Cook today said that Apple TV+ is driven by a commitment to storytelling and artistic excellence, rather than an effort to boost iPhone sales.
In a new interview with Variety, Cook said that Apple's video streaming platform is designed to support original storytelling and cultural influence, distancing the initiative from any direct hardware-related sales strategy. The position is a notable clarification amid long-standing belief that Apple TV+ functions primarily as a marketing tool to strengthen brand loyalty and drive product purchases.
Apple TV+ debuted in November 2019. Apple deliberately chose to launch with only original titles and not to license a back catalog. Cook said:
We elected not to go out and procure a catalog. I know that's a faster way into the business, but it didn't feel like Apple at the end of the day. Apple should have something that we pour our passion into, and that's exactly what we're doing with the shows. And now you can see us hitting a stride. It feels wonderful.
Cook said that Apple TV+ is consistent with Apple's identity as a "toolmaker," a term originally used by co-founder Steve Jobs:
We're a toolmaker. We make tools for creative people to empower them to do things they couldn't do before. So we were doing lots of business with Hollywood well before we were in the TV business.
We studied it for years before we decided to do [Apple TV+]. I know there's a lot of different views out there about why we're into it. We're into it to tell great stories, and we want it to be a great business as well. That's why we're into it, just plain and simple.
The remarks come as Apple prepares to debut F1: The Movie, a $200 million racing film starring Brad Pitt, co-produced by Lewis Hamilton, and directed by Top Gun: Maverick's Joseph Kosinski. The film represents the largest production effort to date by Apple Original Films and will be distributed theatrically by Warner Bros. before arriving on Apple TV+.
To bring something to life that would be authentic to the sport, that would tell a great story as well about the ups and downs of life — F1 hit on all the things. And then we could bring some things that are uniquely Apple to the movie, like our camera technology. And we plan to have the whole of the company support it as well — our retail operation and everything. So it was something that we could get the entire company around. It feels wonderful to be a part of it.
Apple developed camera technology specifically for capturing high-speed racing sequences in F1, which is apparently now present on the latest iPhones.
I don't have it in my mind that I'm going to sell more iPhones because of it. I don't think about that at all. I think about it as a business. And just like we leverage the best of Apple across iPhones and across our services, we try to leverage the best of Apple TV+.
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We really only do a few things. We only have a few products for the size of company we are. We pour all of ourselves in each one of those — and we do TV and movies the same way. It's about staying true to what Apple has always been. It's about staying true to innovation, staying true to our North Star. And if you're able to do that and entertain people in a great way, then we're doing pretty good.
I think the business of our being in this business will be good for us.
Cook added that 2025 is the first year the platform will release a full, weekly content slate, unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic and industry strikes.
