Apple Inc has hired former HBO chief executive officer Richard Plepler, a respected entertainment industry executive, to make TV shows and movies for its new Apple TV+ streaming service.
Plepler and his new company, Eden Productions, will develop original programs exclusively for TV+, the Cupertino, California-based company said on Thursday.
Apple’s video service launched in November last year with a small number of original shows.
Landing Plepler is a sign of Apple’s growing investment in Hollywood and its ability to attract top talent as it competes for viewers with Netflix Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Walt Disney Co.
Plepler joins a list of notable names working with Apple TV+, including Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
Apple’s video offering is part of a broader push beyond iPhones into digital services and subscriptions. The stock topped US$300 on Thursday amid optimism about the company’s holiday sales and demand for wearables and services.
Plepler left HBO in February last year after nearly three decades at the premium cable network, a period in which HBO created a new standard for quality on television. Plepler was the company’s CEO starting in 2013, overseeing the release of hit shows Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley and Ballers.
He left after AT&T Inc’s acquisition of Time Warner Inc.
While Plepler operated HBO as a separate business, AT&T has since brought the business into the same portfolio as other cable networks.
“I’m excited to work with Zack, Jamie and the standout team at Apple who have been deeply supportive of my vision for Eden from day one,” Plepler said in a statement. “The shows that Zack and Jamie produced, The Crown and Breaking Bad, are among those I most admired.”
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