Time Warner could have become an Apple-owned company, according to a report that Apple’s Eddy Cue gave the suggestion of an acquisition to Time Warner head of corporate strategy Olaf Olafsson last year, something that surfaced in a rumor earlier this year. It is also claimed that, while that particular buyout didn’t take place, it apparently hasn’t stopped Apple from looking into possibly acquiring other media companies, in order to increase its own original content creation programs.
The report from the Financial Times claims a meeting took place at the Time Warner headquarters in Manhattan, to discuss partnerships between the two companies, such as that of Apple’s long-rumored streaming video service. While the idea of a buyout was raised, it apparently didn’t go further than that preliminary level, with neither Apple CEO Tim Cook nor Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes weighing in on proceedings.
Even though it won’t be taking the quicker route to media creation by buying Time Warner, Apple is still apparently keen on content production. There is always the chance Apple will buy out another major media player, but in the meantime it is reportedly investing “several hundred million dollars a year” into content production.
It isn’t entirely clear why Apple is putting so much into creating its own shows, as the often-rumored Internet TV subscription would typically rely on streaming existing channels to customers. While the shows could certainly be put up for sale or rent through Apple’s existing iTunes channels, as well as being offered to users of Apple Music, the investment seems to be more in line with a Netflix or Amazon Instant Video-style content strategy.
