It's no secret that original streaming content is taking over the TV landscape. Shows like House of Cards and Transparent have dominated awards shows in recent years, and Netflix may even make its way into the Oscars. With many modern viewers depending almost entirely on streaming services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime to catch up on their favorite shows, traditional cable has some stiff competition.

It looks like streaming services will only get stronger in the coming years, with Netflix planning to produce tons more original content and Amazon Studios producing original movies. With these services already so strongly established, it seems unlikely that another company would step in and try to corner the original streaming content market. However, it looks like Apple has plans to do just that -- albeit with an unexpected motivation.

According to MacRumors, the technology conglomerate is looking to produce scripted TV shows, which would be available to stream on Apple Music. As far as content genre, it looks like the company wants to emulate some recent critical hits. According to the report:

In terms of specific genres, HBO's Westworld and Netflix's Stranger Things were both used as comparisons for what Apple is aiming to produce on Apple Music.

These series will allegedly roll out by the end of the year. Apple is also potentially looking to produce original movies, but "those plans are more preliminary." According to the company, their intention is actually not to compete with Netflix, et al, but rather to set themselves apart from music streaming competitor Spotify.

Apple Music and Spotify are two music streaming subscription services that essentially offer the breadth of music, so it makes sense that Apple would want to fast-track exclusive content. Though the streaming service has exclusively released certain albums, like Frank Ocean's recent Blonde, that hasn't been enough to differentiate the relatively new service. Both Apple Music and Spotify offer their premium subscriptions for roughly $10/month, though Apple Music also has a $14.99 family subscription that can be shared between a maximum of six people.

This is certainly an interesting move on Apple's part, and the mega-company undoubtedly has the resources to produce high-quality content. The only potential issue with this concept is that TV fans without a heavy investment in music may not feel like the payoff is enough to take on a new service. In short, this may be too much of a reach for Apple Music, whereas previous plans to produce music-related TV content were less out of left field. That said, critical darlings Stranger Things and Westworld certainly make for fascinating influences, so maybe Apple will produce some sci-fi series that are compelling enough to convert TV fanatics.

It's certainly interesting to see another company stepping up to the streaming plate, but we'll have to wait and see if Apple's original content has what it takes to really give the company an edge.

Source: MacRumors