What to expect from Apple's Show Time event – TechCrunch

The biggest surprise about next week's Apple event is perhaps the fact that the company still has something to announce. This week, several essential pieces of Apple hardware upgrades, including iPad Air and mini, iMac and AirPod. Given the company's haste to put all this on the carpet, we do not expect to see many new devices during Monday's protest.

Apple sent invitations announcing that March 25 would be "Show Time". The wording was a subtle nod to the "It's Showtime" invitation that was sent to the 2006 special event, which notably announced the launch of iTV at product that would launch as Apple TV the following year.

However, this time, the company is fully service-oriented. The long-awaited original content will be at the center of the stage. Apple could not hide the news as it has injected about a billion dollars into the content. We therefore hear dribs in the last twelve months (see below), including the hiring of Oprah in Spielberg.

The service should compete with the biggest names in streaming, including Amazon, Netflix and Hulu, as well as long-time newcomers like Disney. Among the most compelling reports we have seen so far, the company is helping to sell you other streaming services.

In a way, it would not be totally different from the current Apple TV model. According to sources, the company would build a new content store by offering bundles with cable services such as HBO, Showtime and Starz. In simpler terms, Apple might be looking to disrupt cable television by essentially becoming a cable TV provider. His formidable material reach will play a major role in helping him gain ground – like Apple Music before him.

As for the original content, it is not clear whether Apple plans to monetize these issues. Reports suggest instead that it could make them freely available to viewers with an Apple device.

Here are all the projects revealed so far. Remember that they are in different stages of development and can change dramatically or never see the light of day.

• "Amazing Stories" – a reboot of the executive series of sci-fi anthologies produced (in its old and new versions) by Steven Spielberg.
• "Are you sleeping?" – a television series about real crime podcasts, produced by Reese Witherspoon and performed by Octavia Spencer.
• "Calls" – adaptation of an abridged series in French focusing on audio narration.
• "Central Park" – an animated musical of Loren Bouchard (creator of "Bob's Burger"), as well as Josh Gad and Nora Smith.
• "Defending Jacob" – a thriller adapted from William Landay's novel, starring Chris Evans.
• "Dickinson" – a film series about the poet Emily Dickinson with Hailee Steinfeld.
• "For All Mankind" – a science-fiction series on the theme of the space race of Ronald D. Moore, who created the acclaimed reboot of "Battlestar Galactica".
• "Foundation" – adaptation of the classic science-fiction series of Isaac Asimov, with David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman as animators.
• "Home" – a documentary series about extraordinary homes.
• "Little America" ​​- a series of anthologies on the subject of immigrants presented by Lee Eisenberg ("The Office") and Alan Yang ("Master of None").
• "Little Voice" – a romantic dramatic setting produced by J.J. Abrams and the creative team of the musical "Waitress", Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson.
• "Losing Earth" – a series based on the story and book of Nathaniel Rich's New York Times magazine on the history of climate activism.
• "Magic Hour" – a mysterious series inspired by the story of Hilde Lysiak, produced and directed by Jon M. Chu ("Crazy Rich Asians").
• "My glory was I had such friends" – a series that brings together J.J. Abrams and Jennifer Garner (portrayed by Garner) will be based on the memoir of Amy Silverstein bearing the same name.
• "Pachinko" – a series based on Min Jin Lee's novel, a multigenerational saga about a Korean family.
• "See" – a science fiction drama written by Steven Knight ("Peaky Blinders") and directed by Francis Lawrence (several sequels of "Hunger Games").
• "Shantaram" – A series based on Gregory David Robert's novel, about a man who escapes from an Australian prison and finds himself in Bombay.
• "Swagger" – a scripted series inspired by the life of basketball star Kevin Durant.
• "The Morning Show" – a drama on the world of early morning television starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell.
• "Time Bandits" – a reboot of Terry Gilliam's cult film, co-written and directed by Taika Waititi.
• Untitled Series Brie Larson – a show featuring the star of "Captain Marvel", based on the lived experiences of Amaryllis Fox, CIA police officer.
• Untitled series Colleen McGuinness – a humorous series inspired by Curtis Sittenfeld's short story "You Think I'll Say It".
• Untitled Damien Chazelle – Little is known about the content of the series, but the director of "La La Land" should write and direct each episode of the first season.
• Untitled Mr. Night Shyamalan Series – A thriller written by Tony Basgallop, with Shyamalan performing the first episode and executive production.
• Oprah's Untitled Projects – Oprah Winfrey has signed a multi-year partnership to produce original content for Apple, but what types of content remain to be seen.
• Untitled Snoopy series – an abbreviated series featuring Snoopy and STEM-based, part of a larger "Peanuts" contract between Apple and the Canadian broadcaster DHX Media.
• Untitled Richard Gere Series – A drama based on the Israeli show "Nevelot".
• Untitled series Rob McElhenny / Charlie Day – a comedy from the team behind "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia", where McElhenny plays an employee in a video game studio.
• Untitled Series Simon Kinberg / David Weil – a sci-fi series co-written by Kinberg, long-time writer and producer, producer of "X-Men" movies.

This will probably monopolize most of the event, but Apple may well have some surprises in its sleeve. The main candidate for a second announcement is the subscription-based news service, which has been the subject of long rumors. As for his film / television projects, Apple would have asked a number of different publishers to launch what some call a "Netflix for News", which would expand its acquisition of the Texture digital magazine application.

Reports noted, however, that many outlets were not happy with the revenue sharing that would accompany the level of payment for the service. Nevertheless, some major publishers, including the Wall Street Journal, are already ready for launch.

A third big rumor is that the company is launching a consumer credit card through a partnership with Goldman Sachs. The CEO of the investment giant plans to attend this event to launch a co-branded card.

TechCrunch will be on site to inform you of the situation at dusk.