Apple has spent $6 billion on original shows: The Morning Show costs more than Game of Thrones

Financial Times

The star-studded The Morning Show and the Jason Momoa-led See are Apple's most expensive original shows, reports the Financial Times. "The company has spent hundreds of millions of dollars alone on a star-studded series featuring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carell called The Morning Show," reports the Financial Times' Anna Nicolaou and Tim Bradshaw. "According to people familiar with the matter, that amounts to a higher price per episode than Game of Thrones, which reportedly cost $15m for each episode of its final season. The Morning Show ranks alongside science fiction drama See, which features Aquaman star Jason Momoa and is written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, as one of the most expensive shows on Apple’s slate." Apple TV+ originally hired Jamie Erlicht and Zack Van Amburg in 2017 to oversee Apple's original TV series with a $1 billion spending budget. But that figure has ballooned to $6 billion. "Apple is looking to build a library of original programming to take on more established competitors such as Netflix," reports the Financial Times. "While Apple’s budget remains well below Netflix’s expected cash content spending of $15bn this year, its more generous payment terms are helping it to win deals in Hollywood. Unlike Netflix, which often pays content creators over several years, Apple pays earlier in the production process, once certain milestones are hit, according to people familiar with its approach." ALSO: Apple TV+ is targeting a November launch date costing $9.99 per month after a free trial.