Apple Inc has inked a multi-year deal with A24, the studio behind Oscar-winning projects “Moonlight” and “Amy”, a source familiar with the plans told Reuters, as the iPhone maker pushes deeper into original content and movies.
Apple, which had allocated an initial $1 billion for programming, earlier inked deals with Hollywood celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and ordered two seasons of a series starring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston to bring in more content for its users.
Other projects Apple had announced include a remake of Steven Spielberg’s 1980s science fiction anthology series “Amazing Stories,” based on Isaac Asimov’s influential “Foundation” science fiction novels, and a drama from “La La Land” movie director Damian Chazelle.
New York-based A24’s Academy Award nominations include “Lady Bird” and “Room”.
The deal comes at a time when top online streaming service providers including Netflix Inc (NFLX.O), Amazon.com Inc’s (AMZN.O) Prime Video and Time Warner Inc’s TWX.N HBO are spending billions to create original content.
